If I Set You Free
by ScarletDrake
Summary: She was only 23 and she had already closed her scrap book, as if her life were over already. As if there were no more memories to add. And as she sat there, rubbing her swollen stomach, she couldn't help but wonder why she never told him.
1. Month 1

It had, and probably will always be, the happiest day of her life. Then, three years ago, she was happy and in a way, that kind of made the memory happy too. Her wedding day, both the one she had on Tamaran and the one she redid on earth was the best days of her life. And how could it not be? Even if she had been married on a rainy day in a cardboard box out in a alley with a hobo as the priest, at least she was marrying him.

But the thought of him only made her cry harder. She was sitting their bed. The bed they had shared for years. The bed that only she and him had ever touched. It was something they shared. Maybe not very significant, but all the more, it meant that much more to her.

A knock came to the door and with superhuman speed, she was out the bed and swinging open the door. Rachel stood there, complete with dark jeans, flats, and a hoodie.

"Any news?" Kory asked, vibrating with impatience.

"Nothing," Rachel said with a shake of her head, "But I figured you were cooped up in here so I took the liberty of making you a _healthy, _breakfast."

Rachel was always concerned about Kory's health. Over the past few weeks, Rachel had become much more than a best friend to Kory. She had become much closer than a sister ever could. In the past few weeks, Rachel had become Kory rock. Her weight. The very thing keeping her from drifting off and just ceasing to exist.

"C'mon," Rachel insisted, "You shouldn't leave yogurt out like it is."

Frowning at the dairy product that was probably part of her breakfast, Kory followed Rachel down the long hallway. Kory had never really wanted a big house, but Richard had insisted that they buy only the best and with his proposal fresh on her mind, she would of agreed to almost anything. But now, looking down the long spiral stairs that led to the foyer and study, she was really wishing she lived in a small ranch house.

She had been correct when she expected Rachel had put yogurt on the menu, but like always, she was surprised at how detailed her meal really was. Yogurt and strawberries and apple slices sat neatly in a bowl. 3 sausage links sat, beautifully arranged with unnecessary care. A slice of toast with butter and honey drizzled over it and a cup of, from the looks of it, freshly squeezed orange juice awaited her. Rachel could be so over the top, but her cooking was immaculate and she insisted on using only organic things that was 100% healthy. A habit Garfield, her husband, undoubtedly started her on.

Garfield himself was sitting at her island, eating some of the fruit out of her yogurt.  
"Gar," Rachel scolded, "I put _your _bowl on the table. That's for Kory."

"Aw, she wont miss it Rae." he insisted, taking another apple slice.

"Wheres Victor?" Kory asked, noticing her 'big brother' wasn't in the room.

She had grown accustomed to eating breakfast, and sometimes lunch and or dinner, with all of them. It was just something they couldn't stop after everyone separated. The Titans itself wasn't exactly 'disbanded'. Everyone still had a part in saving the city when needed, often pairing up and working together. The Titans themselves just didn't live together. While Kory lived in her big house, Rachel and Garfield lived a little closer to the city in a penthouse apartment. Victor chose, 100% serious, about never leaving the tower. Even when Richard tried, with all his might, to get the man to buy a house. Even offering to buy it for him.

"Ran to the store," Garfield explained, "He wanted to add _another _update to your security system."

Kory sat beside him, picking at the strawberries in her yogurt. Victor was always adamant about making sure they were well protected. And while Rachel and Garfield, unbeknownst to them, had a missile set up under their floor boards in case of an emergency, Kory and Richards house had bomb sensors under ever blade of grass in their lawn. And now that Kory was in the house alone, Victor had stepped his game up big time. She had at least four different codes just to enter her front door. She was afraid that walking on her lawn could get her foot blown off, even though Victor implored her that that wasn't possible. But, she thanked him greatly. It was nice to know he cared.

"Pills." Rachel said, pointed at the large pills in front of Kory.

"Those things are like horse pills," Garfield said, shifting to a pony to make his point..

But routinely, he grabbed one of her chopping knifes and began grounding the pills up so that she could just mix it with water and drink it. While Garfield was chopping her pills, and Rachel was busy cleaning up from the small breakfast she made, Kory slipped out the kitchen and down the hallway. She didn't worry about tiptoeing or being heard. She knew Richard well enough to know that a squeaky board wasn't even _possible _in his house. He would _not _have anything of that magnitude anywhere near him.

She went to her nearest living room, and switched on the TV. The channel was already on the news. She made sure, just in case she had to turn on the TV quickly, she have to have to push any buttons to change the channel. The weather was going off and traffic reports were coming on, but she paid that no mind. Instead, she got closer to the flat screen and read the tape line that scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

She was looking for his name. She was _always _looking for his name. She had been looking for his name, even a mention of him, for 3 days now. His name had to come sometime. And she wouldn't rest until it did. Something in her said she was just worried. That she was probably overreacting and that he was fine. But he was also missing. And she would find him. As something about politics scrolled by, the TV shut off. Kory slumped. Busted.

"What have I told you?" Rachel asked, the remote being put down by her powers, "Your only hurting yourself more by watching that crap. The stress isn't good for you."

"I..." she trailed off. She had already used every excuse in the book. She just had to admit defeat.

"We'll find him," Rachel said comfortingly, "You know him. He probably went to Germany to buy you some chocolates or flowers or whatever and his flight got canceled. You know Germany has crazy weather, so the phone lines are down or something. Its probably some junk like that."

Kory shook her head, but smiled. The likely hood of that was about none, and Rachel knew that, but Kory was glad she tried.

"If it makes you feel any better," Rachel continued, "I'm meeting with my mother today. I've asked her to help me search for him mentally. I didn't want to tell you unless we really did find something, but I guess you'd of found out anyway."

Kory did feel a little better now. Rachel was good at finding people mentally, but her mother must have been better. And the more people looking for Richard the better.

"Horse pills," Garfield announced, as they entered the kitchen, "Chopped and ready for your digestion."

Kory groaned, downing the pills without thinking too much about it.

"Don't you have a doctors appointment today?" Gar asked, taking her empty cup away for her, "I'll drive you if you need."

Kory shook her head, "I do but Victor is taking me. You can still come though, if you want to."

"Actually," he said, smiling, "I was gonna head to Azarath with Rachel. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going alone."

Kory wanted to hug him for his concern, but Rachel beat her to it. Rachel always got affectionate when Garfield showed he cared for Kory, for some reason. Kory wasn't sure why, but she left for her room to get her shoes. Her appointment was in an hour, but if Victor got back early, and they left early, she might be able to be seen sooner. She was already starting to get jitters. Appointments made her nervous.

She was just wearing some sweat pants and a t-shirt, but she figured that her ob/gyn would understand her want for comfy clothes. She was pregnant after all.

Kory frowned as she sat on her bed to put on her shoes. Richard didn't even know. He disappeared the night she was planning to tell him. He had had a meeting with the Jump city Wayne Enterprises board. Nothing too unusual. But he normally returned from those long meetings at around 7, if not sooner. She had been so excited. She'd made dinner and cleaned the house extra good. She had set up the dinning room with candles and roses. Imagine her surprised when 7 o'clock ticked by. She had called his cell phone at 7:30 and was still trying to get in touch with him. She called Rachel immediately at 8:30, and Rachel had come to sit with her. Then 9 o'clock came and went. Then 10:30. Then 12. By morning, Kory had been sick with worry. A wreck. Frantic and unable to think straight.

Rachel had called the Wayne office to see when he had left, only to find that he never showed up to the meeting. Kory's mental breakdown started then. Victor and Garfield arrived to help, searching the streets and asking around. The other honorary titans kept a lookout too. Kory insisted they call the cops and hire a detective, both of whom were still out looking for clues and evidence.

And now, three days later, she was still sick with grief. Worried beyond all compare, as she left the master bedroom. So many things could of happened to him. He could be hurt, with no way to get help. He could have been kidnapped, he _was _the richest guy in Jump. Or worse. It could be so much worse. And truly, she didn't want to think about it. But she knew one thing for sure, if he was out there, alive and well, she knew he'd be doing everything in his power to get back to her. It was the one thing that was certain in her life. She knew, without a doubt, that he loved her and that at that very moment, he was thinking about either escape or her.

The front door rang, momentarily pulling her from her mind. She went down the steps a little faster, hoping a detective or cop had found something. She was halfway down the stairs when Garfield showed up. He held his hand up to her, telling her to stop. She froze on the steps while he answered the door. She really wasn't sure _why _she wasn't allowed to open her own front door. She looked to Rachel, who was standing in the foyer, for help, but Rachel just stared at the back of Garfield's shirt, looking like a love sick puppy.

Rachel was so weird.

"Its cool," Garfield said, stepping aside, "It's just Vic."

Kory rolled her eyes, 'false alarm' sounding off in her head. Garfield really was like a protective big brother.

"Alright, Kory," Vic said, putting down numerous shopping bags from Home Depot, "Lets get on the road. If we're there early the may see you sooner. Besides, I want to instal these cameras and automatic locks."

Kory knew better than to object _any _of Victor's ideas about security. She was better off just nodding her head and leaving. Garfield, like he did every time he was over and she had to leave the house, grabbed her coat from the closet and held it open. She walked backwards into the overly large fur coat that Victor had brought for her and slipped her arms in. The buttons became coated in black as Rachel did them up.

Victor slung his arm around her and walked her out to his car, the t-car, really, in Lamborghini style. It really wasn't _that _cold out. Especially when there was a break in the wind. Kory was actually starting to sweat as Victor held the door open for her and she got in.

She pushed away the feeling of being smothered, and put on her seat belt. Even with the large fur coat on, though, that wasn't what was making her feel claustrophobic. No, it was her friends. She loved them. Each and every one of them, dearly. But, they were suffocating her. They were at her every turn. Waiting with the pills and the coats and the alarm systems. With Richard gone, she told herself that she needed this. That they were just watching over her in his absence. That not only her, but her unborn baby, and soon Richard, would appreciate this day. They were doing everything in their power to not only keep her calm, but make her comfortable and happy. She was ashamed to feel uncomfortable about it. She felt ungrateful.

"Victor?" she asked, trying unsuccessfully to turn towards him in her big coat, "You know I love you, right?"

Victor slowed the car down as they came to a stop light.

"Yeah," he said slowly, "I know. I love ya too."

"Good." she said, focusing silently on the passing buildings.

They soon sped past Garfield and Rachel's apartment. Naturally, it was the nicest one in the city, courtesy of Richard. But Kory couldn't get over the fact that their was a missile under the very floors. That at any minute, evil would come with a vengeance, and all anyone would have to do was press the button to blow the floor from her friends apartment floors. It was bitterly sweet, the situation.

Victor pulled into the hospitals parking lot, driving to the front doors.

"Stupid attendants must be on a lunch break... kind of hospital takes lunch breaks?" he muttered, then loudly said, "Alright Kory, you go on ahead and get yourself signed in. I'll find a parking spot."

Kory sighed as Victor sped off. She could of walked from the parking lot to the hospital. She _wasn't _in labor. She was only 4 weeks pregnant. Just barely noticeable. What would any of them do when she was 4 _months _pregnant? Or 6 months pregnant? Or 8? She had no doubt that she would never get a second of peace when that time came. She almost cringed at what they would probably do when she actually went into labor.

Shaking her head, she went into the building and walked straight back to the elevator. Nowadays, the elevators motions were starting to make her feel sick, but at the moment, she was too tired to take the stairs. Maybe Vic _was _right about dropping her off at the front.

The elevator dinged at the eighth floor, and she stepped around a mother whose daughter was screaming her eyes eyes out and yelling ferociously. Kory winced. When her baby was born, she would make sure he or she never behaved like that in public. They would be of royal heritage after all. But thinking about it, Kory knew nothing about children in general. She knew the basics, but nothing more. And discipline? Richard was always the one who got serious when needed. He just had a... and his face... he would just... he just had this _look _that told you when he done playing. You just _knew _when to behave when he looked at you.

She, on the other hand, knew nothing past smiles and thank you's. She acted, as Richard had once put it, like Benjamin Button. It hadn't been until she had seen the movie to actually know what he meant. She knew she was a bit childish. She like to have fun and smile, she knew that. But being serious was such hard work. It required a skill that she just didn't have. But he didn't mind. Kory was actually pretty sure that he liked that childishness about her.

Coming to the front desk, she sighed her name in, and went to take a seat. She was the only one in the room, besides the woman at the desk. Kory pondered taking a magazine, but decided against it and pulled out her cell phone. A nervous habit she begun doing the night Richard disappeared. She went to her messages, and sent Richard a quick text.

She was pretty sure he wasn't getting them, because he never responded, but it was her way of talking to him. She just sent him random hellos. And I miss yous. And hope your safe. At night she always sent a fully detailed text of what she had done that day. What she had eaten and how the search was going, without going into full detail on any locations, in case someone else somehow had gotten his phone.

She merely sent him a short text that said she had a surprise for him when he returned. Yes, a baby was certainly a surprise. But she wouldn't tell him, at least not in a text, that she was pregnant. The whole ordeal was much to wonderful to truly be conveyed electronically. No, she would tell him face to face.

Her phone vibrated suddenly, and for a moment, she couldn't breath. But it vibrated again and Victor's name popped up on the screen. She sighed, a bit disappointed, but picked up her phone.

"Hello Victor," she said, cheerful, hoping he couldn't tell she was upset.

"Hey Kory. You in the office, yet?"

"Yeah," she said, looking out the window behind her, "Where are you?"

"Kory," he said guiltily, "I just got called back into work. They want me to leave now, but I cant-"

"Its fine Victor," she assured him, "I'll just call Garfield to pick me up when the appointments over. You go ahead to work."  
"You sure you all right? Because I can-"

"Victor go." she insisted.

"Alright then. I got my cell on me, so call if you need."

"Without any doubt."

He chuckled before hanging up, and she slouched in her chair. She's either be walking home or catching a bus, now. Great. Garfield and Rachel had probably already gone through her portal to Azarath, but Kory didn't want to keep Victor from his job at Star Labs. He was working so hard on something she couldn't remember, and she didn't want to keep him from it. She was already so much of a burden to him. Between searching for Richard and sleeping, he barely had any time for work, choosing instead to give his free time to her. The least she could do was give some of that time back.

"Mrs. Grayson?"

She looked up to the nurse who had called her. Oh how she loved that name. Even now, three years after marrying him, she still got goosebumps when someone said her last name.

She smiled at the cheerful woman, mirror her smile and stood to follow her.

"Are you here alone, Mrs. Grayson?" the woman asked, and though it pained her to think about it, she nodded.

She knew if Richard was there he would be taking over the whole operation. Asking the nurse, a woman who didn't even know Kory, questions. He'd be holding Kory's hand tightly, more nervous about these appointments than she was. He'd fuss over her, much more than usual, and make big deals out of nothing. She missed him so much.

"You can wait in here," the woman smiled, "Doctor Richardson will be in soon."

What an ironic name. She sighed, entering the brightly colored room. Subconsciously hoping up onto the bed, she laid back and stared at the many posters and booklets on breastfeeding and asthma. She twiddled her thumbs, looking around the room at all the instruments. Right about now would be when Richard would pace the room, biting his thumb nail and rambling about what was taking the doctor so long.

_Stop it, _she scolded herself, _thinking about him like this isn't going to bring him back any faster. Your only going to stress yourself out._

Despite her better judgment, she was about to pull out her phone and send Richard another text when the room door opened. A tall man with white hair all over his face walked in. His face was full of wrinkles and laugh lines and he had a pair of glasses resting hazardously on the bridge of his nose. But despite obviously being an older man, his posture was incredible.

"Kory, I presume," he said, just as cheerful as the nurse.

Kory forcefully relaxed herself. This was just a checkup. She'd be fine on her own.

"And Dr. Richardson, yes?" she asked, sitting up to shake his hand.

The man froze, confusion on his face. For a moment, Kory wondered if she had been led to the wrong room, but the man lifted up a name tag and smiled pleasantly.

"That's what the name tag says,"

Taking a deep breath, she felt better knowing her doctor wasn't a grumpy person. She just hoped that he had been joking about not remembering his name.

"Alright Kory," he said, sitting in his swivel chair and rolling over, "Now that pleasantries are out of the way, we'll get down to business. As you already know, I'm Dr. Richardson. I'll be who you'll see for the remainder of you pregnancy."

She nodded, glad she didn't have to see a different doctor every time she had an appointment. Rachel would of known that, and for a minute, Kory wished Rachel _was _there with her. But Kory took comfort in knowing that Rachel and her mother and Garfield was looking for Richard. For all she knew, Richard could be home, at that very second, waiting for her to walk in.

"And we'll just see whats going on inside," Dr. Richardson said.

Kory had a mild panic attack, angry that she hadn't been listening to the doctor. She just hoped she hadn't said anything important. The thought that she might have was enough for her to ask him to repeat everything he had just said, but he had turned his back to her and her attention was now drawn to a machine he was starting up.

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "This is just the ultrasound machine. It'll send harmless sound waves through your stomach and send us a visual image of what the baby looks like."

"What?" she snapped, sitting up, "We'll... I mean... I'll get to see-"

"Yup," Dr. Richardson said, as if she had just asked the number one expected question, "Right now. In about 20 seconds."

Kory laid back. Now, she was really wishing Richard was there with her. Or, at least Rachel. Even Garfield or Victor. Suddenly, feeling suffocated by them was sounding pretty good.

"Alright," Dr. Richardson said, grabbing a bottle off a table, "This gel will help us get a clear view, so I'm going to put some on your stomach. Its a little cold, so don't be alarmed."

Cold was an understatement. That gel was freezing. Next time she saw Victor, she'd ask him about ob/gyn gel heaters, because that was ridiculous. Kory held her breath. This was it. Dr Richardson turned on the monitor screen.

"Don't worry," he said, again, "This is a Transducer probe and its a T-type linear. My favorite."

Kory was 2 seconds from tears and Dr Richardsons gibberish talk about linear T-types and probes (a word she had grown to really hate and fear) was not helping. She hadn't even seen the baby and already she expected herself to cry. She was just hoping the baby was alright. She wanted him or her to be healthy.

"Here we go," Dr Richardson said, purposefully moving in slow motion.

She giggled. Obviously, he had been doing his job for a while now, and she had to admit it, so far, he was pretty good doctor. She was calm again. Completely and utterly tranquil. And then she looked to the screen. She immediately burst into tears, hiccuping all the way. Yes, all she really saw was a tiny gray glob of color. But that was her tiny gray glob of color. It was all hers.

They spent about another hour just talking about that tiny gray glob of hers. About her health and stress. She couldn't help but crumble to the old man about Richard, and surprisingly, he had no idea who either of them were. They talked about food and her future pregnancy. By the time she was getting up to leave she felt refreshed and informal.

"Wait, wait wait," he said, stopping her, "Your forgetting something."

She did a mental search. The only thing she had had with her was her cell phone, and she could feel that in her back pocket. But Dr Richardson went back to the ultrasound machine and pressed some buttons. She waited as something printed and he rolled over to her in his chair.

"Don't want to forget this, do you?" he asked, holding a printed out picture of the baby.

She hadn't known you could take _pictures! _Suddenly, that freezing cold gel was worth it. And as she left his room and got back on the elevator, she was still staring at the picture and date. She tucked it into her pocket, careful not to fold it, as she left the building. It was colder at noon, but her fur coat was still too much for the weather. But she'd rather sweat than be cold and left the jacket on, opting to leave the buttons undone.

When Richard returned, he'd be ecstatic when she showed him the picture. Maybe, she wouldn't say a word. Maybe, she'd just hand him the picture and let him figure it out. The look on his face would be picture-worthy. Maybe she should buy a camera. She thought about. If she passed any electronics stores, she told herself she'd buy a camera.

She was just crossing a street, her intent on catching a taxi, when a loud horn blew behind her. Whipping around, she saw the ever so familiar green Ferrari. And that meant Rachel and Garfield was back. It also meant Victor had called them. She was in for a long car ride.

"I'm not going to say anything," Rachel said, as Kory got in, "I think you already know how I feel."

Kory nodded silently, like disobeying child. But she wasn't too upset about it. Kory had bigger questions.

"-No," Rachel said, speaking before her, "Arella and I didn't find anything."

Kory almost couldn't believe it. With Arella and Rachel combined, Kory was sure they'd find _some _kind of trace of Richard. She had been hoping so hard that they found _something, _if not him entirely. That had been big hope for her. The detectives weren't getting anywhere. The titans weren't getting anywhere. And now, Raven and her mother? That was quite a let down.

"How was your appointment?" Garfield asked, trying to change the subject.

"Fine." she responded.

Really, Kory didn't want to talk about such a happy thing when all she felt was miserable. But regardless, the reached into her pocket and pulled out the ultrasound picture. She wordlessly handed it up to Rachel, who had her eyebrow cocked.

"Kory," Rachel said, clearly smiling, "That's amazing."

"I don't get it?" Garfield said, peaking over during the red light, "It looks like old tofu."

"Its a fetus." Rachel said, hitting his arm.

"Its a blob. No offense Kory."

"Its a _baby._" Rachel insisted, handing the photo back.

But Kory wasn't offended. Just an hour before she had thought the same exact thing. It _did _look like a blob. And a tofu blob at that.

"Well anyway," Garfield said, turning down her street, "Victor wants you home Kory. He said he had a surprise for you."

Millions of images popped into her head. Her last surprise had been her fur coat. If Victor got her a matching scarf and boots she was going to scream. Loud. And probably for no apparent reason, but screaming would definitely help her get all of her pent up energy out.

Walking up to her front door, eyes open wide so the iris scanner would allow her in, she couldn't help but think about the best surprise. Richard. If Victor had somehow found Richard and rescued him from whatever dark hole he had fallen in, she'd pass out from sheer joy. She could already see it in her mind. He'd step out of some dark corner that she hadn't been expecting. She'd break down immediately, and run into his arms where he'd be waiting. He'd stroke her hair, soothingly running his hand through it, whispering that everything would be okay. And in the end, everything _would _be okay.

But stepping into the foyer, she was met with Victor, smiling broadly and holding something behind his back.

Richard... well, he wouldn't be hiding behind Victor's back, but Kory hoped maybe instead, he may have had a new lead on where Richard was. It wasn't as good, but it was more than what she had. Or better yet, he could have some kind of tablet, and Richard could be on there ready to video chat. Maybe he really was in Germany!

"Kory, you know how we all hate leaving you here alone at night, right?" he asked

_Please be Richard. Please be a clue. Please be a tablet._

"So," Garfield said, running beside Victor, obviously having a part in the surprise, "We took the liberty," Rachel shrugged at her, clearly being as clueless as her.

_Please be Richard. Please be a clue. Please be a tablet._

"Surprise!" Vic and Gar both exclaimed.

Something small and black wiggled in Victor's hands and before Kory could calm her nerves from the fact that they might have a rat, a small puppy poked his head up. His little brown and black face was the tilted at Kory, and her heart melted. His pink tongue was sticking out, and his fur was the fluffiest Kory had ever seen.

Maybe it was the crazy hormones, but for a second, she was brilliantly happy. Deliriously fascinated by the small animal.

"All his stuff is in the kitchen," Garfield said, smiling, "What'r you gonna name him?"

"Its a boy." Victor clarified.

But Kory just shrugged. She had no idea what she would name the cutest puppy in the world. She had totally not been expecting him.  
"Honestly, Kory," Rachel said, walking over to give her a hug, "Gar and I would love to stay and help get him set up, but I promised Arella he and I would go back for dinner."

"Its fine," Kory said, taking the puppy from Victor's hands, "You guys go on."

"And I should get back to the tower," Victor nodded, "You know. To check out police reports and make sure help isn't needed."

Kory nodded at him too. She would love to go back to the tower and help him with crime, but he wouldn't allow it. Ever since her pregnancy, her powers had seemed to be cut off. A quick chat with Galfore revealed that that was normal. She frowned, locking the door behind them. They all had lives away from her, and as much as it pained her to see them go, she knew she had no right to keep them around. She already took up most of their day. It wasn't fair to them.

Shaking her head of sad thought, she went to the kitchen to see what Vic and Garfield had brought for the dog.

Her entire counter was full of supplies. From tons and tons of dog food, to shampoo, to a brush, to a leash and collar. They clearly didn't want her running to the store for anything. She set the puppy on the counter, prepared to put the dog food in the pantry only to find that the pantry was already full of dog food.

She sighed, opening all her bottom cabinets to find them stuffed with dog food.

"Made yourself at home already?" she asked, turning to the dog who sat, wagging his tail. "What am I going to name you?"

The dog food bags were heavy, and with her powers acting out, she could barely drag it. But she managed to get them all to a corner. She'd ask Garfield or Victor to help her store them the next morning. Grabbing a trash bag, she put all of the other supplies in and planned to put them in her room. Her _and _Richards room.

She picked the puppy up and held him to her chest. He really was adorable.

"How about... smokey?" she asked him, heading up the back spiral stairs. "No. I don't really like smokey. How about bandit? Whisper? Shadow?"

No, she wanted her puppy to have a significant name. Something that meant something to her. The most important thing to her at the moment was finding Richard, her friends, and her baby. She could name him search, like a search for Richard. She could name him friend, or amigos. She could name him baby or kid. But those were pretty horrible names. But then again, she could always name him after her brother Ryand'r.

"How about Ry?" she asked the dog, who just stared at her with big brown eyes.

She really did need to call him. Since his coming to earth, her life had seemed dramatically perfect. Ryan was pretty good at everything he did and Richard had instantly given, not even offered, him a job at Wayne Enterprise. With Richard on his back, Ryan really didn't seem to have a choice on the matter. But Ryan, like her, thrived on making others happy and he took the job. Now, he was an overseer, of sorts. He managed mostly things in the physics department, but really, he was in charge of the whole building.

And Garfield had said all his training as a prince in leadership would never come in handy.

He stopped by at least three times during the week, and he was over every weekend. Regardless though, she always missed him. Being that high on the social scale as leader of the Jump Wayne Enterprises, he was always busy. But he made time for her, which she admired.

She set the puppy down. Wondering about a name. The dog skipped around happily on her bed, rolling on his back and kicking up his legs.

"How about mask?" she asked, as she scratched his belly, "Or boots? Cape?"

_What would Richard name him?_

She shook her head. She was not thinking about him at the moment. And yet, without a thought, she pulled out her cell phone and took a picture of the dog, then attached the picture to an email.

**Look who lives here, now.**

She sent it. If Richard did still have his phone, at least now he wouldn't be surprised if a dog was laying on his bed. Richard was actually very strict about his bed. He didn't like people touching it, _if _of course he even let you _see _it. But not many people had actually went into the master bedroom, anyway.

"Sir Cuddles Worth?" she asked, laying back beside the dog, "Bubbles? Bark? I've got it." she said suddenly.

The dog climbed on her stomach and sat, staring at her.

"How about, Erou?" she asked.

The dog barked and she couldn't help but feel that he meant yes. Erou sounded a lot like the word 'Arrow', and that was what she'd tell everyone his name was. But to someone who spoke Romanian, like herself and Richard, it meant 'Hero'. The perfect, all around, general meaning to her life. It meant something to her whole family, friends included.

"Alright, Arrow." she said, sitting up. "Right now, I would love to take a nice, warm afternoon bath."

Arrow simply stuck his tongue out at her. Kory grabbed a few things from her drawer. Most of her clothes still fit, she _did _always favor stretchy things, but she knew that soon, she'd need to go shopping for bigger things. She hoped, with all her might, that Richard would be there with her. That she and he could go together.

Going into the bathroom, Arrow followed, weaving in and out of her legs. She didn't mind though. Instead, she shut the curtains and turned on the water to her jacuzzi tub. Of all the things in her big house, she loved that tub the best. She loved the marble steps that led up to it. She loved the roman columns that Richard insisted was necessary. She loved the optional spray that could come down like a shower, despite her having a shower just on the other side of the bathroom. She even loved the jets that spurted out air and made the jacuzzi, a, well, jacuzzi.

Going for luxury, she turned down the recess lighting in the room and search under the double sinks vanity for the flowers and rose petals. Normally, she hardly every used that stuff. Preferring instead to take quick baths and showers. But that day, she felt she needed a bit of down time.

Squeezing some pink tinted bubble suds in the bath tub, searched around for a lighter, for her candles. If ever she needed fire, she always just used a starbolt, and now that she needed a lighter, she had a hard time finding one. She searched through both her vanity and Richards, seeing nothing that would emit any fire.

Huffing, she left the bathroom and headed back down to the kitchen, Arrow at her feet the whole time. After searching there, and finding nothing, she turned on her electric stove and placed a coiled up end of paper on it. Withing moments, the paper began to smoke and pretty soon it was on fire.

She wouldn't know what she would do if she dropped the paper and the house caught on fire, so she hurried back up the stairs, glad when she made it without any problems. By the time she lit all the candles and set them up randomly to her taste, her bath was ready. Arrow seemed to sense the end of walking around and curled up on the rug, looking like he was going to take a nap.

Shaking her head at him, she stripped down and climbed into the tub. There really was nothing like relaxing. Just sitting back, literally smelling the roses, and enjoying the the jets that was hitting her back. It was heavenly.

She pried herself not to think about anything boy related. Certainly nothing that had to do with Richard. No, this was her relaxing moment. She needed this break. She was just sinking down, letting her shoulders get massaged by the jets, when Arrow jumped up suddenly, running to the bathroom window. Kory looked over the side of the tub, curious as Arrow let out a sharp and high bark.

That was the first time she had heard him make a sound and she wondered what was up. But suddenly, the door bell rang. She growled, the pink bubbles of the tub fluttering away, as if afraid. Arrow was looking at her now, and she smiled at him for a moment. Yes, Erou indeed.

But content over came over her as she settled on the fact that she simply wasn't going to answer the door. Rachel, Victor, and Garfield knew how to get in. Ryan had a key as well. Any of the other titans knew her cell phone number. They'd call if they were trying to get in. Anyone else just had to merely wait or come back another time. Settled.

She sunk back down into the bath. But Arrow let out another sharp bark. Sitting up, Kory sighed. Arrow wasn't going to relax until she did something and she _did _want to know who was disturbing her. The thought that it may have been a detective made her move a little faster. She grabbed her robe and rushed out the bathroom, Arrow right at her heels.

How could she ignore that door? How could she try and relax? Richard was out there, missing. How could she think, for one second, that she could just stop worrying about him and relax. A moment of stupidity, she declared to herself. She just had a moment of stupidity. That was all. It wouldn't happen again.

She typed a few passwords into the door and then swung it open, hoping a detective, if not Richard himself was standing there. She saw black hair in her frantic rush to open the door, and delight filled her. But disappointment crept in when she realized that it was just her neighbor, Xavier Red. She had confused his shaggy black hair for Richards.

"Just got back from a business trip in Gotham," he said, leaning against her door frame, "When I heard the news about Richie."

She didn't quite want to respond to that, so instead, she moved aside to let him in. Honestly, this was his first time inside her house. Richard and him had never gotten along. Ever. If Xavier even touched a blade of Richards grass, the two erupted in a war of sorts, bringing up totally unrelated things and yelling at each other. Kory didn't really see anything wrong with Xavier, but since she was always around Richard, Xavier was never let in and she hardly got to speak with him.

Xavier seemed to gladly step inside, but only a few feet in, he slipped on the trail of water Kory had left on the floor. It was with sheer agility that he caught himself. Kory's lip quivered at the sight. The mere thought of agility reminded her of Richard, but she straightened herself

"Bath." she explained, when he followed the course of water to her dripping hair and legs.

He seemed to notice for the first time that she was clad in nothing but her robe. His eyes traveled over her for a moment, before he seemed to remember himself and his brown eyes snapped back to her face. She pretended she hadn't seen that, and led Xavier to the kitchen, quickly excusing herself so that she could get dress.

Arrow skipped along behind her, like a shadow, and she couldn't help but smile. She was really falling in love with that dog.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she found herself out of breath and exhausted. After a quick bathroom break, she chose out a pair of sweat pants and a t shirt. She would of preferred a tank top, but that wasn't proper house guest attire. Putting on a pair of socks, Arrow jumped on her lap. He just sat their, resting his head on her knees and looking as if he wanted to finish he nap. Well, she thought standing up, she _wanted _to finish her bath.

Heading back down the stairs. She couldn't help but wonder what Xavier was doing there. She didn't know him very well, just from a few run-ins at the market and general neighbor talk, but what if Richard had always been trying to protect her? What if Xavier was really some kind of serial killer? An ax murderer. Richard _was _always looking out for her, what did Xavier have to hide? What dirty secret did Richard know that she didn't? Was she in danger now that Xavier knew Richard was gone?

The thought almost made her go back up the steps and yell for him to let himself out. To sick little Arrow at him and lock herself in the bathroom. Maybe call the police while she was at it. But then again, what if Xavier was the sweetest guy, besides her Richard of course, on planet earth. She wouldn't know until she stepped into that kitchen, which ironically, she was doing right at that moment.

Little Arrow surged ahead, skidding across her kitchen floor and whelping for help when he couldn't stop. He slid, bumping the wall and lay there, as if stunned something had actually happened.

Kory was really starting to love that dog.

"Little adventurous, isn't he?" Xavier asked, looking on from his spot at the island, "And a bit young to try and take on bigger meat."

"His names Arrow," she said, picking him up from the floor, "I just got him today. Victor brought him for me."

"Hows the big guy doing?" he asked, picking at a sting on his long sleeved shirt, "The whole crew is around a lot more often, I've seen."

"Well, with Richard-" she started, not even daring herself to continue. He'd get the point.

She placed Arrow up on the island counted, grabbing herself a chair across from Xavier.

"With him... out, they don't like leaving me alone very often. And now with-"

She smiled to herself. Now with something so wonderful happening, the thought of her alone scared them even more.

"With what?" he pushed, smiling a bit at her.

"And now," she continued, "with me expecting, they've ramped up the visits."

For a moment, his face was indescribable. A mixture of two faces it seemed. That previous smile hadn't left his face, but it was mixed with... well, she didn't know. After a moment, he smiled genuinely anyway.

"That's great, Kory. How far are you?"

"About a month now," she said, scratching Arrow between his ears, "Just confirmed with the doctor today."

"Did Richard know?"

Kory wasn't particularly fond of the fact that he used passed tense, but she let it slide.

"No," she said, "I hadn't got the chance to tell him."

"Grayson and I never really got along," he said, suddenly solemn, "But I wouldn't wish this on him no day."

"He'll be back soon," she said resolutely, but the look he gave her said 'pity' all over.

He didn't believe that. He didn't believe Richard was coming back. Ever. He had some dark, gruesome, image in his mind. So that was why he had come. He had come to pay his respects to someone who _wasn't _dead. Richard was coming back. He was. She didn't need to believe it, she knew it. He wouldn't just leave her. He was out there, fighting for her. Fighting his way back to her. She knew he was. He was doing all he could to get back to her. He wouldn't give up, and when he found out that she was pregnant, he'd be happy. He'd never leave her again.

"Well," he said, standing up, "I just wanted to drop by a make sure you were alright."

"I'm perfectly fine," she said, standing and grabbing Arrow, "But I appreciate you stopping by."  
"Don't hesitate to call," he said, as she help the front door open for him, "Anytime you ever need anything. Just stop by or call."

"I will. And thank you," she said, watching as he walked across the street to his house.

Well, she definitely wouldn't be calling _him. _She didn't need to talk to _anyone _who thought her husband wasn't coming back. Because he was. He definitely _was _coming back. He was probably on his way at that very moment. With German chocolate and a tale of some horrible German storm. She'd cry for a while, the sheer weight of the situation fading, but he'd hold her. Whisper to her. Make her feel alive again. He _was _coming back. She knew it. Could feel it all over her. He'd be back for her. Back for her, and their baby.

She went back to the kitchen, gingerly putting Arrow back on the floor, and went through her cabinets. She was hungry now. Hardly any breakfast and now a late lunch, she was border line starving. She grabbed a pack of Roman Noodles, and began eating a cookies and cream Hershey's bar while the water was heating up.

Arrow yipped, his paws beating at the side of the counter. With one hand, she reached down and put him on top of the counter. Maybe, putting him on the counter was a bad habit to start, but she didn't mind, he was so small anyway.

Her pocket vibrated, and she reached in to grab her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kory," Rachel said, "I just wanted to let you know Gar and I were about to head to Azarath."

"Alright. Dinner with mom, right?"  
"Right. You know once I cross planes-"

"That I wont be able to get in touch with you. I know."

"And-"

"And if anything happens, call Victor, Karen, or any of the other titans. And the cops. I know."

"And Kory-"

"I love you too, Rachel," Kory said, smirking.

"Actually, I was going to say make sure your doors are locked, but sure. Whatever. Same here."

"Alright, then have fun with you mom."

"Yeah Kory, because everyone loves having to travel through the universe to sit awkwardly at a table with your mom and husband."

"Every girls dream."

"I'm not every girl."

"That is abundantly clear."

"Gars barking, so I guess that means I better go."

"Have fun, Rachel."

"Yeah. That's going to happen."

Speaking of barking, Arrow was acting kind of fidgety. Kory rushed up the stairs, taking a 5 minute break after, fetched the leash from her room and rushed back to the kitchen. She just wasn't in the mood to clean up any dog crap. Arrow was on the kitchen floor whimpering when she went back in, probably having fallen off to try and follow her. She immediately felt bad about leaving him alone, and decided she'd make it up to him by taking him for a walk.

She turned the stove off and went to get her coat. She fidgeted, settling on a lighter coat, and not the fur one Victor brought her. If she was going to be walking, she couldn't do it in that fur coat.

Arrow stood still as she put on his collar and leash. She had to admit it, she felt kind of cool holding a leash and about to walk a dog. To many people, it was a casual and usual thing, but she had never owned a dog, much less walked one. Thanks to Garfield, she had seen and pet one before, but Garfield never needed a leash.

She opened her front door, a gust of wind blowing in, and closed it behind her. It was cold, but not cold enough for her fur coat. Besides, once she started walking, she'd warm up a bit.

Arrow jumped and ran in front of her. They hadn't been outside for a few minutes before Arrow scrambled over and peed on her lawn. She pulled him along, opting to take a walk around the neighborhood. It was a pretty big neighborhood, the houses being so far spaced in between and the streets being long and curved. It would take her about an hour to walk around the whole thing.

Arrow would love that.

She started, picking going left randomly. The streets had a lot of trees, most of them big enough to cross over the street, and make a tree-like tunnel. She loved that about the streets. Though she lived in the city, the trees made her feel more like she lived in the country. She especially loved the fall, which had just passed. When the leaves turned colors and began to rain down, she walked these streets the most. Richard was more of a summer/springtime guy, but he'd walk the streets with her anyway.

How she wished he were walking with her at that moment. Holding her hand, and complaining about the temperature. Telling her random facts about why bugs suddenly disappeared in the cold and where they went when they did. Explaining the bird and butterfly migration to her, although he did every year and she was pretty sure that any questions any person could possibly have, she'd be able to answer.

How she wished he were there, so she could tell him her wonderful news. He would, initially, freak out, maybe even passing out, but she knew he'd be happy. She knew he'd be just as excited about a baby as she was. He would fuss over her, probably make her wear that fur coat Victor got her. He'd buy her new scarfs and gloves. Make her layer up and wear furry boots. Carry her around after every other step she took.

She missed him so much.

What could have happened those three days ago? Though he may not seem like he could take care of himself, she knew that if any danger came up, he could very well protect himself. Hardly anything could conquer him. He had so many different skills and he was just so smart. What could cause him to stay away from her that long?

Arrow crossed in front of her legs, nearly tripping her. She stepped over the leash, and tugged him along. He jumped at a dead, falling leaf. He barked at a scurrying squirrel but quickly shifted his attention to another falling leaf. At least one of them was happy.

She rubbed her stomach absently. How could she do this alone? True, she had the support of her friends and brother, but she _needed _her husband, too. She needed Richard to help her get through this. She... she couldn't have a _baby __**without **_him. He was the father. He was supposed to hold her hand through this whole pregnancy ride. He was supposed to tell her that things would be okay. That she would be fine. That the baby would be fine. He was supposed to be there, with her.

Coming to a clearing, she saw through the trees that dark clouds were making its way over. The last thing she needed to do was get caught in the rain and get sick. Arrow was looking a bit exhausted anyway, so she turned and began making her way back home. She hadn't even made it halfway around the neighborhood, but that was alright to her, she was tired anyway.

She was just walking in through her front door when her phone rang. After talking briefly to her brother, who was just checking up on her, she went through some of Arrow's bags and pulled out his bowls. She put her stove water back on and put some water in Arrow's bowl and food in his other.

As he gobbled it down, she went into her living room and turned the news on the TV. Rachel wasn't there to franchise her TV watching channels, so now was the perfect time. After watching sports recaps for 10 minutes, she went and fixed her noodles and a cup of hot chocolate, before sitting back in front of the TV.

She could hear the sound of the wind whistling and blowing on her window, usually something that made her appreciate her house a little more and made her feel warm and cozy, but she was too occupied scanning the red tape of information going across the bottom screen to notice. The weather. Sports. Young kids steal neighbors purse. Control Freak jail breakout. Shoplifting 80 year old man steals depends. But no Richard. No hidden messages. No secret videos. No interrupted broadcasts. Nothing. No one even knew Richard was missing yet.

She checked the time, surprised that it was 10 o'clock. She had literally been watching TV for hours. She found Arrow, asleep with his head in his food bowl and picked him up. It was time for her to go to bed too, but she knew she'd just turn her TV on in her own room and watch a little more of the news.

She laid Arrow on her bed and went to brush her teeth. She was in the midst of spitting before her phone _pinged _with an incoming message.

**Back home. You safe?**

Of course it was Rachel.

_**Doors locked, mom.**_

__She sent, finishing her 'nightly ritual', as Richard called it.

**Good. I don't want to have to kick your butt if someone comes to kick your butt.**

_**Promise. I'm fine.**_

**Good. Now go to bed. Don't even think about turning on that TV, either. Get your pregnant butt in bed and go to sleep. Stress is bad for the baby.**

_**I wasn't planning on watching TV, mom.**_

**Um-hm. Now stop texting and go to bed. I'll be there bright and early to make sure you take your pills.**

_**Alright Rachel. Night. Say night to Gar, too.**_

**Will do. Night.**

It was nice having someone to call just to say they were home and making sure you were safe. Rachel cared so much that Kory nearly couldn't believe it. Rachel, simply put, was amazing.

Going to her bed, she decided to listen to Rachel and just go to bed. Arrow had somehow managed to shimmy him was up to her pillow and was sleeping soundly. It was odd, Kory never thought of dogs sleeping.

But there was one thing she wasn't going to forget to do. She pulled out her phone again and picked Richard to send a message to. She remember Xavier being over and decided that she mine as well text it to him. He may not even have the phone to read it with, but she decided that she'd feel better if she texted it anyway.

**This isn't going to make you happy.**

Kory jumped so hard she woke not only herself, but Arrow up as well. Kory sat up, watching as Arrow jumped off the bed and ran to her double doors. Her room was a dark blue color and Kory knew it must have been early, but she wasn't sure what had woken her. Settling on the fact that she must have had a bad dream and woke herself up, she laid back down.

A loud banging rapped her door, and Kory almost peed on herself from fright. Arrow howled, and Kory jumped out of bed. She hadn't reached her door before it was flung open.

"Rachel?" Kory gasped, holding her chest. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Rachel said, disappearing in her closet.

"Here." she said, coming out of the closet with Kory's robe. "You cant wear a tank top and shorts in front of the detective. I already don't like what he thinks about you."

"Detective?" Kory asked, already rushing out her door and leaving Rachel. "He's here? Has he found something? Did he bring anyone? Does he know where Richard is?"

"No," Rachel said, running down the stairs behind Kory, "I didn't want him to tell me until you were present. I don't know anything."

Kory slipped, nearly flipping over in the foyer, but a black claw caught her. Without even turning to thank Rachel, she ran into the kitchen, Garfield and Victor already there waiting. The detective, with his tan over coat and black Sherlock Holmes hat, was actually named Mark. Kory just always forgot that and just called him detective.

"Anything?" she asked, not bothering with hellos, "Do you know where he is?"

Mark held his hands up, to show patience. Kory was sure, though, that she felt energy flow through her hands. She was a half a second away from beating the information out of Mark. She wasn't totally opposed to violence.

"He's right," Garfield said, "We should calm down and think sensibly."

Kory looked at him. He was the last one she expected to defend the detective, but because it was from him, she listened. She took a deep breath and motioned to the living room, where she led everyone. She sat down, Arrow in her lap, and prepared herself to cry. For good or better. Because worse wasn't a possibility. It couldn't be.

Rachel grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Kory grabbed it back with equal force. This was it. This was her answer. Her fate. Her husbands fate. Their baby's fate.

"On behalf of myself and the JCPD, we regret to inform you-" he began and flashes of tons and tons of Richards Sunday morning crime movies came rushing back.

All of her doctor mystery shows were coming back in waves. Regret. Behalf. Inform. Just a few keywords that tore at her heart. She wasn't hearing this. She _couldn't _be hearing this. This would mean Xavier was right. This would mean that that look of pity would only be the first. This would mean that for the next few months, her house would be surrounded by cameras. And worst of all, this would mean that he wasn't coming back. Her Richard was gone. Her Richard would never see his son or daughter. Never hold them. Never hear them laugh or cry. Never grow older. Never see his new dog. Never smile at her again.

She wasn't sure if the detective was still talking. She had suddenly gone deaf. Sound was gone completely. Even her vision was blurred. Tunnel vision setting in. The only things that was remotely clear and visible was Rachel, who was crying harder than Kory ever remembered seeing. Kory just stared at Rachel. Waited for Rachel's eyes to glow and set things straight. Waited for the girl to smile. Waited to hear that they were tears of joy, not of pain and sadness. Richard couldn't be gone.

"I'm sorry," Mark said, and Kory was half surprised she could hear him. Granted, he sounded far away, underwater, _and _on the other side of glass, but she could hear him.

"How?" Garfield squeaked, and Kory felt Arrow move to look up at her. He was soaked and she was amazed to find that she had been crying on him.

"Well," Mark started, "The autopsy-"

Kory let out a strangled cry. Autopsy? They had found his...

"The autopsy and location proved that he must have been jumped. Apparently, he was on his way to his car, which was found a few blocks away. He had numerous stab wounds, but none too serious."

"I think its safe to say they were serious." Victor said, his head down.

"No," Mark said, "Actually, what must have done him in was the fire."

_Fire?_

"I haven't heard about any fires." Rachel surd.

"No, no, no." Mark explained. "There was no fire around him. He _was _on fire. His corpse was burnt to a crisp."

She was going to be sick. No doubt about it. She would throw up any and everything that was gurgling around in her stomach and then she'd pass out. She's just lay wherever she decided to vomit. And with any luck. She wouldn't wake up.

She excused herself as fast as she could, running to the nearest powder room and throwing up. Richard, her husband. He... this couldn't be happening. She couldn't have just heard that. Mark was wrong. Mark was wrong on 20 different levels. Mark was so wrong, that he needed to be fired. Fired for giving such wrong information. He was just _so _wrong.

She didn't even bother going back to the living room. She didn't need or want to hear anymore. She trusted her friends enough to take care of that situation. She nearly stepped on Arrow as she made her way back to her room. She planned on laying there forever. Nothing, not even her need to pee, would get her out of that bed.

She closed her bedroom door behind her, shucking her robe and crawled into bed. She felt Arrow jump onto the bed and crawl over her feet, but she just pulled the covers over her head. She didn't want to be bothered.

She kept seeing images of Richard, laying broken in some dark, crude, wet alleyway. _Her _Richard. Broken. Bloody. Bruised. In pain. Wishing he could call her. Talk to her. Touch her. Kiss her. One last time. For one last minute. He just wanted to see her. He was near death when some disturbed creep set him on fire.

And that hurt even more.

If his stab wounds weren't fatal, and he was set on fire, he must have been alive. He felt himself burning. In pain. Engulfed in flames and heat. He could hardly do anything to save himself. Her Richard. Her selfless brave Richard, burning. In pain. In misery. So far from her and yet, he had only been in town. So close, but still so far from her.

He was gone. Now, she wished she could set back time and go back to when she thought he was only missing. She had been miserable, but she hadn't given up hope. Now, though, she had no choice. It was the end of the story. Chapter done. Finished. Sent. There was no more hope. Hope in what? There wasn't even anything to hope for, now. Every question had its answer, and though she didn't like her answer, it was answered. Unfortunately for her, it just meant her entire world had been shattered. Crashed and shaken.

She would never get over this. Never recover. Her life was over and she didn't even care. Her poor baby. Her poor, unborn child. Slave and destined to be born into brokenness. Born into a crushed, rugged life. She could never love again. Never care for anything else. She had done her fair share of caring. She had cared for Richard the moment she saw him, and now, he had been snatched right from under her nose. Stolen from her.

She heard her bedroom door creak and expected Rachel to be there. She heard the bed bounce and judging by the softness of it, she knew it was Rachel. Rachel crawled under the covers and snuggled next to Kory, who refused to move. Had Richard been there, he wouldn't of even let her touch the bed. But he wasn't and Kory didn't have the energy or strength to fight her about it.

And randomly, as if thinking about him to much, she burst into tears. Loud, sob racking, tears. Rachel just held her, stroking her hair.

"Kory," she whispered, "I know this is hard. But you have to think about the baby, too."

"But Rachel," she cried, "He was in pain."

"Kory, he wasn't-"

"He was alive when they burnt him. He was in pain. He died in pain."

For the longest time, the two just laid there. Kory crying her heart out and Rachel holding her. Both wallowing in self-despair. Both broken. Arrow was laying on Kory's hair, but she suddenly didn't have the strength to move him. Her limbs were cement.

There was another creak as her door was opened again. Arrow jumped from her hair and she assumed he went to greet either Gar or Vic. She wouldn't know. She refused to move.

There was a gentle hand on her shoulder, it was much to small to be Victor's so she assumed it was Garfield. Light poured in as the blanket was moved slightly. His hand still on her shoulder, Garfield leaned over her, crushing a bit under his weight, and whispered something to Rachel. Rachel, still teary eyed, nodded and got from under the covers. She squeezed Kory tightly before leaving after Gar.

Kory was so alone. And not just because Rachel had left. Without Richard, without even the hope that he would return, she felt lonely. Which, she scoffed, was ridiculous since she had a whole nother human growing right in her stomach. As long as she was pregnant, she wasn't alone. But that wasn't how she felt.

For the remainder of the day, she lay there. Arrow went in and out as he pleased. She hoped Gar had fed him and let him out to use the bathroom. Rachel hadn't come back in her room, but Victor had. He had just sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her head. He talked about work the whole time, and Kory was glad that he wasn't recounting memories or talking about... _him. _

In cat form, Garfield had come back, but only in short intervals. He rushed out her room every few minutes, only to come back and sit back on her legs.

Even though Kory had claimed she'd never get out her bed again, she had. About 9 times, actually. But it was only because she had to pee every 30 seconds of her life. Victor had brought her a hoagie too. A long, meat and cheese and mayonnaise filled hoagie. She really didn't want to eat it. Somehow, it just felt like it was too soon after hearing the news. But in the end, her stomach won and she ate the whole thing, only leaving the wrapper above the covers.

Arrow had come and pleasantly dragged the wrapped out of her room.

But no one had made her move. The only thing forced was her pills. Garfield had walked in, a cup of cloudy, pill-ed up water in his hands. He had held it out, and she had simply downed it. She was upset and depressed but Rachel was right, she still had to think about the baby. His baby. The reminder that would always be there. A reminder of him in living flesh. She was both hoping and loathing the thought that the baby would look just like him. Either with his black hair or blue eyes or pale skin. Either way, she had a feeling she would see and exact replica of Richard somewhere in her child.

She had been dozing off all day, not really sleepy, but laying in bed always made her feel it. Suddenly, something jumped on her feet and she hardly glanced down, already knowing it was only Arrow. The dog looked panicked and kept pushing his head against her face, his tail vigorously, but she didn't want to play. No, she either wanted to die or be left alone.

Arrow barked, and managed to get under the blankets with her. He settled into her chest and she realized that he was shaking. He hadn't shaken since she had gotten him.

Pulling the blanket over her head, she shivered in the unstale air. Then she heard it, most likely the reason for Arrow's panic attack. Rachel was screaming.


	2. Month 2

Hola mi amigos!

Been a while, I know, but I'm working on it. Promise. This chapters a little on the short side but believe me, it doesn't take away from any emotional aspects of the story. Promise.

I wont blabber on and on so... I guess I'll just shut up now... like... right about... like, really, like... now.

(*whisper* enjoy.)

* * *

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was month 2 and month 1 all at the same time.

Month 2 of her pregnancy and month 1 of being without her husband.

Though her 'baby bump' was nothing more than a small annoyance, the fact that Richard was still gone was beyond terrifying. She was sure the new detectives were trying their hardest, but it seemed as if they weren't making much progress. No clues. No messages. No nothing.

It was early, Kory's bedroom barely a light blue color, still opting to remain dark. This was normal for her though. Ever since the day Mark's lie came up, she hadn't been able to sleep well. It had been weeks since she last slept through the whole night. She dared not tell Rachel, though. She knew Rachel would overreact. Kory just associated her lack of sleep with worry. Her husband was missing after all.

Once again, she replayed that day in her mind.

After she had heard Rachel screaming, she had hopped out of bed, leaving a yipping Arrow and ran out her room. She had still had her night shorts and tank top on, her feet were bear, and if anything serious _was _actually happening, she would have been powerless. But regardless, Rachel was her best friend. Her sister.

She had stopped in the foyer, seeing Rachel. But Rachel didn't look scared or even hurt. No, she had looked pissed off.

"Take a good look," Rachel had said, grabbing Kory's arm and pointing down the hall to where Victor had had Mark, the detective, by the collar. "That's the look of a douche-bag."

Kory was sure she would have stuttered if she would have found her voice, but Rachel didn't even give her the chance.

"Go back upstairs," she had commanded, "I'll fill you in later."

Kory didn't even think twice about running back up the stairs. Sitting on her bed, out of breath from that little run, she had pulled the blankets off a still yipping Arrow.

Why was Rachel so angry? Kory wasn't thinking when she pulled her phone from her dresser and sent Richard a text. She knew he wasn't getting the messages. She knew now, he would _never _get the messages. But she felt better occupying her time with pretending. Pretending it was a few weeks ago and that she was just texting her husband. She pretended that he would respond within seconds, like he always did, no matter what was happening.

"Sorry 'bout that." Rachel had said, walking into the room, "I didn't mean to make you run."

Smiling at how ridiculous that sounded, Kory wrapped her arms around Rachel and laid her head on her shoulder.

"What happened?" she whispered, not quite knowing if she really wanted to know the answer.

"You have good news and bad news. Which would you prefer first?"

"Good news."

"Like always. Well," she started, "The detectives a liar. No one found Richards body or any sign of him."

Kory didn't need to hear any more. She was already crying hysterically. Hiccuping, struggling to breathe and making strange animal noises, all at once. Rachel looked concerned, she could see through her teary eyes. And while Rachel did her best to try to calm Kory down, Kory didn't care. Her Richard still had a chance. He was still alive. He didn't die burning in flames and stabbed.

"Kory," Rachel had said, rubbing her hair, "Calm down. Geez, you'll start hyperventilating."

It still took a few minutes, but Kory finally got her self under control. So much information had been processed in that one day. Her Richard was missing. Her Richard was dead. Her Richard wasn't dead. Her Richard was still missing. She was suddenly exhausted.

"Bad news," Rachel said, eying her carefully, "The detectives' whole squad was paid off by some mysterious guy. So the whole 4 days we _thought _they had been searching, they were probably paying pool at the downtown pub."

"Four days?!" Kory exclaimed, "So for four days, no police or detectives have been searching?"

"That's right. And not _one _of them had the decency to tell us."

"And, we don't know who paid them off?"

"Well, it's a man," Rachel said, thinking, "When I threatened Mark, he kept saying 'he's not gonna like this,' or 'this will make him mad.' So I guess its a man. I've tried to read his mind, but really, I don't even think Mark knows who this guy is."

Rachel may not of knew, but that was _great _news and bad news.

Good: They could have been overlooking something so simple, that a rookie detective could easily find it. Since no one had really been looking, clues and evidence were never found. But now that they knew about the cops being paid off, they could hire _real _detectives and save her husband.

Bad: Something really horrible could have happened to Richard that he may have needed first aid immediately. They had wasted valuable time just hoping and praying when really, Richard may have needed them sooner.

"So yeah," she continued, "Gar and Vic have already left to find some _real _detectives and Mark is on his way down town. Can you believe that guy? Pretending like he really cared and all that crap."

Kory just nodded her head. Yes, she had, once upon a time, believed he had wanted to find her husband.

"Come on," Rachel said, standing up, "Lets take Arrow out and get some breakfast. I'll come with you. Just hurry up and get dressed."

As odd as it was, food had sounded really good to Kory. She had wanted something completely fattening and chocolatey. Yes, a fat and chocolate breakfast had sounded pretty good to her. She had run to her closet, grabbing a pair of jeggings and a t-shirt and quickly put on a pair of flats. When she got downstairs, Rachel already had Arrow in his dog purse and was waiting with Kory's coat.

The big, furry, unnecessary coat.

"I think I'll let you slide on being healthy this morning," Rachel had said, helping Kory into the coat, "I'm done playing by the rules, at least for today."

But that had been a month ago. And even with the real detectives working, no clues or evidence had been found. Every member of the titans had been working their butts off. Even Kory. With what little hacking skills she had, she had reviewed every street camera and civilian tape within a 50 foot radius of where Richards usual route to work was. She even took traffic and road blocks into account.

Arrow, her everyday companion, was at her side through her long nights. He was getting bigger, but not too big for her. Though she grunted a little when she picked him up, he was still holdable and even still fit on her lap.

Knowing she'd never be able to get back to sleep, she kicked the blankets off herself and got out of bed. Arrow was still peacefully resting at the foot of the bed, but his ears perked up and she knew he was aware. It was actually nice having a guard dog around.

After a quick shower, she dressed in her now typical outfit of a t-shirt and sweat pants. It was house comfy and was well enough in case she had to run out the house, say, down to the police dept. Another habit she had was her flats. They were comfy enough, but she hardly ever took them off. Her coat was always sitting on her foyer banister and Arrow's leash was always within reach as well. She even had an overnight bag for herself and Richard, just in case he was in the hospital.

She made sure she was completely ready, in case of anything. She wouldn't waste time for something as stupid as putting on her shoes.

She made her bed, Arrow finally moving off of it, and made her way down the stairs. Victor had to work that day and Rachel and Gar were planning to have a briefing with the detectives. Oh how Kory wished she could go, but her friends had all unanimously decided that it was probably better if she stayed home. Rachel wanted to milk every detail from them and no one really felt comfortable around a grief-stricken, pregnant, hormonal woman.

Turning off the security, Kory opened the back door to let Arrow out. She closed the door behind him, merely opening the curtains so that she could see out. He never left the yard without her, so she wasn't worried.

She was home alone, so she had to make her own breakfast. It was different, and a bit weird, but she managed to maker herself a satisfying BLT. After chopping up her own pill and taking it, claws scratched at the door and Kory mindlessly opened it, letting Arrow back in. She locked the doors back and turned back on security.

Finishing up her food and cleaning, she gave Arrow his breakfast before heading to the living room to watch the news. It was the only show she ever watched... besides 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant'. But in the end, she decided on the news. She was almost afraid. She knew Richard would be all over it. He had been just a week after he had gone missing. Every channel was broadcasting something about him and Kory hardly knew which channel to watch anymore. And while she still got a few flashes from a camera through her windows, Rachel and Vic had scared most of them off.

As she expected, Richard was the main subject of the channel. Her house was on live video via helicopter and civilians were giving their opinions on the matter.

She was nodding off, oddly feeling tired when her phone rang. She jumped up, having been right in the void of sleep and answered her phone without looking to see who it was.

"Kory." Rachel said, "Its me."

"Hi Rachel. How did the-"

"-No time. Right now, you need to get in your car and drive down to Main St."

"Okay, but-"

"Just do it, Kor. We'll meet you there."

Kory didn't waste any time. With her already done precautions, she was in the car and down the street within 5 minutes. It was her first time driving in a long while and she was amazed that she had to even scoot the seat back because of her stomach. Naturally, Richard primarily taught her to drive. That was the main reason Gar claimed she drove like a wild woman. But she couldn't just discard the techniques Richard had taught her.

Coming up on main, she made it within 7 minutes of Rachel's initial call.

"Hope you weren't speedin," Victor said, opening the door for her.

They had called Victor from work. Something big must have happened and Kory wasn't sure whether or not that was a good or bad thing. Arrow jumped out behind her, and Victor grabbed his leash, nodding in the direction Rachel was in.

The entire street was blocked off with tape and it was filled with police officers. Kory was wringing her fingers before she even knew what was going on.

"I'm not sure whats going on." Rachel said when Kory reached her, "I just heard the detective say they found something and I wanted you here as soon as possible."

Kory nodded, taking Rachel's hand in hers.

"Mrs. Grayson. Mrs. Logan." A man said, approaching them with a large German shepherd of his own.

"Kory this is detective Ray." Rachel introduced, "He's the head of the case."

Kory shook his hand appropriately, but tension was thick and Kory just wanted to know the news.

"Follow me." he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

Victor and Gar joined them as they all followed Detective Ray down the street. Kory was learning to ignore the photographers, but the bright lights and cameras that was steady on her was making her a little uncomfortable. She just thanked the officers who were keeping them at bay.

Detective Ray led them to an alleyway, where garbage cans and trash were covered in plastic. A large, car cover was laying on an obvious car, and the detective motioned at her to remove it. Not wanting to play any games, Kory through the cover from the car, holding in a gasp to find Richards red convertible.

She knew she probably should have been expecting that. They wouldn't call her down here and block off the streets unless there was something related to Richard here.

"Police and investigators already have what they need," Ray said, "So the car can go into you custody."

Without thinking, Kory opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. If she tried hard enough, she could block out the sirens and chatter and just imagine she was waiting in the car while Richard got gas or ran into the store for her.

The officers, Rae, Gar, and Vic gave her her space and left to probably take a look at all of the evidence. So many questions went through her head. Did Richard leave the car here? Did someone else drive the car here? If someone had gotten rid of Richard, why would they leave the car here and not, say, drive it into a river?

Shaking her head, she felt along the steering wheel. Richard may have been the last one to touch it. So far, it was the closest thing she had had to him in a while. Pulling down the sun visor, two small pieces of paper fell down into the driver's seat. Picking them up, she saw that they were actually movie tickets. She smiled, Richard loved the movies.

If was for the première 3D version of the Titanic. Richard _loathed_ that movie. In his mind, he saw at least 10 different ways that everyone could have lived, but he knew Kory loved it... in a sad, unfair kind of way. He had been doing it for her, and only her. He hated the movie, but was willing to sit through it for her. He must have been planning on going to see it that weekend.

The idea solidified her idea that he hadn't left on his own. He had had plans. He had things he wanted to do and get done. He hadn't left her willingly.

She put the tickets back, turning in her seat to look in the back seat. She blinked, surprised when she saw that a duffel bag lay open, with clothes spilling out. Ray had said they had had all they needed, so she reached back and went through the clothes. The dress pants, black and white button down shirt, dress socks and shoes. Richard had worn that exact outfit when he had left that day for the office.

So... on his way to work... someone kidnapped him, made him change his clothes, and then left the car? That was a string of idiotic moves. It left so much evidence. But surely, whoever was behind this was smarter than they looked. They did get_ Richard,_ after all.

Nothing else was in the bag, not even his phone. Kory wasn't sure if she felt better about that or not.

She went through all of the nooks and crannies of the car, finding change and old receipts. Richard normally kept his car in excellent condition, so she wasn't expecting to find much. Out of habit, she took his pants and began folding it so that it fit better in the duffel bag. The put his socks together and went to grab the shirt only, it crunched in her hand.

Shaking the shirt a little, a small piece of paper fell out. It was folded four times into a little square and Kory wondered if the detectives had seen it.

Unfolding the piece of paper, she let out a mangled sob.

_**I love you.**_

Written in his sharp, neat, cursive, she knew it was written by him. She flipped the paper over and over, making sure she didn't miss anything. But it was blank. She knew he loved her, but at the moment, she couldn't feel any less loved.

She had no idea when he had written that, perhaps just a bored scribble he had made, or maybe he had left it after being forced to change his clothes. She decided she wouldn't show anyone the note. She doubted it would improve or damage the case in any way, but it held importance to her. The note was _for_ her.

_**I love you too.**_

And that text she had just sent, was for him.

_**I found your note, **_she typed, unable to leave her message like that, **_And you have no idea how much it both hurt, and made me happy. I miss you more than this message could ever convey. Be safe. And come home soon._**

Tucking the note in her pocket, she went through his clothes again, just to make sure she hadn't missed anymore notes. When she found none, she decided she'd been in the car for enough time and got out.

Rachel was immediately at her side and had her hand. Kory, for that was glad. She needed some strength.

"I'm starving." Victor said, throwing his arm over her shoulder, "We should go get something to eat."

"Something non-meat related." Garfield said, walking through the detectives.

"We'll meet you there." Rachel said, leading Kory towards where Ray was standing.

"We don't _like_ to leave you out of the meetings," she said, "But you know we do it because it's for the best, right?"

"I know." Kory nodded.

"I just figured you'd like a briefing from a detective himself."

Kory perked up at that. Yes, she _did_ want to hear the briefing, and now was as good a time as any.

"Ray." Rachel said, getting attention, "What have we got?"

"Not much," Ray said, acknowledging them, "You've seen the clothes, I'm sure, and tickets, but the boys and I don't think he was forced to go anywhere."

"But he appears to have had plans," Kory objected, "He's not one to abandon plans."

"And while that makes sense, someone smart may have placed that evidence to make it seem that way."

Would someone really do that? It was... smart, she supposed. If anyone knew Richard, they would know that he always stuck with his plans. But who would do something like that? And did they really know that Kory loved the Titanic? Did they know her like they knew him? Was she in danger?

"What leads you to that conclusion?" Rachel asked.

"Well," he said, "You probably cant see it now, but their were a single pair of footprints leading from the vehicle and from the alleyway. Apparently, no one has been in the alleyway and dirt and just general wear had made the prints nearly impossible to read, but the team and I have gotten a good enough read and the converse sneaker prints that where left were a match to Richard Graysons foot print."

That wasn't right. Someone had to have forced Richard to leave. He wouldn't have left on his own. He loved her. The note said so. And people who love each other didn't just disappear. It just wasn't... loving. A meta-human. That was the only explanation. Someone who could fly or something like that. Apparently, Rachel was thinking the same thing.  
"Could someone had ridden on his back or something like that? I don't think this adds up too much."

"Not likely," Ray said, "The prints weren't deep enough for us to conclude extra weight. According to the prints and our calculations, his weight and foot size were perfect. If any weight had been added the prints would be deeper."

Another excuse. She needed another excuse. This couldn't be right. She had to counter it.

"And judging by the angle and pressure points," Ray continued, "We terminated that Richard must have been running. There is a deeper impression in the toe of the print, rather than the heel. He must have been in a hurry."

And Kory knew that was wrong, because she knew Richard always put more pressure on the ball of his foot, and not his toes when he ran.

Rachel squeezed her hand and Kory figured she'd want her to keep that probably unhelpful bit of information to herself.

"Have you figured anything else out?" Kory asked.

"Not much," he responded, "In the meeting today, we went over the bank accounts again and did another witness assessment."

"And?"

"Inconclusive. The accounts haven't been touched and there are no witnesses."

That's great news. No witnesses. No account changes. No nothing. She was completely in the open. No clues. No leads. No nothing. Whoever this person was, they hid their tracks good.

"Why are you just finding the car?" Rachel asked, "This is in his normal route to work. This should have been covered already."

"We're working as fast as we can," he said, his hands up in innocence, "Our detectives are the best around. You shouldn't be worried."

Shouldn't be worried? This guy clearly had never had someone close to him go missing. Rachel narrowed her eyes and walked off.

"She's not pregnant, is she?" Ray asked, looking to her.

Kory narrowed her eyes and Ray's hands went back up in innocence.

Satisfied that he was properly aware of how important this was, she turned on her heels and followed Rachel towards Gar's car.

"We'll meet up at the Pizza place-" Gar began before Rachel cut him off.

"No. Greasy foods aren't good for Kory." Rachel argued, "Make it Mega Organic. They have yogurt."

Kory groaned. She hated yogurt.  
"Alright." Vic sighed, "But for my girl only, would I even _think _about going in that place."

"Good." Gar agreed, "So I'll take my car and Vic will take his."

"And Kory and I will meet you there," Rachel agreed, grabbing Kory's hand and leading her to her car.

"Arrow can ride with me!" Gar called over his shoulder, the dog yipping and jumping at his feet.

Rachel got in the car and adjusted the seat in mirrors. Then she turned in her chair for a moment. Just staring at Kory. Kory sighed again and pulled on her seat belt. It was then that Rachel started the car and backed out onto the street.

"It's not much," Rachel said, "But at least we're getting somewhere. I just wish they would move a little faster."

"Ray is productive?" Kory asked, looking out her window.

"Yeah, I think he is. I sense no deception or anything. He really does want to crack this case. Maybe as much as we do."

Kory was quiet for a moment. She really did hope Ray was doing all he could. She couldn't bear it if another detective went awol on her.

What she really wanted to do at the moment was pull out that small note and read it forever. Then maybe she'd send a text to Richard like she had so far done everyday since that fateful. But in the end, she knew she'd just read the note over and over again. She liked the thought of him bored somewhere and writing little messages to her in his heart.

He loved her. He did, and even before their wedding day, he had shown her every moment of the day. Every moment they were together, he showed he loved her. And their love was plainly clear right in her stomach. Although really, you could only tell when she had on a fitted shirt.

"Try and stay positive," Rachel said suddenly, "Believe me, I _know_ how hard this is on you. Its hard on me, too. Its hard on all of us. But for the baby's sake, stay optimistic."

She sighed when Kory didn't respond.

"Did I tell you what I found yesterday?" she asked.

"I don't think so."

"Well yesterday, Gar had dropped a bag of chips on the floor. I don't know why I didn't just use my powers, but I got a broom and started sweeping it up. So, there was this one chip that get stuck between the wood on the floor and I get down to get it. Of course, I end up breaking the chip and I can't get it from between the floor boards. With my powers, I lift the board and guess what I find?"

"A missile."

"There's a miss- wait what?"

Kory shrunk back. _Busted. _But she couldn't help but laugh.

"No way you knew." she said, mocking anger, "Kory! There was a missile in our floor boards and you didn't tell me?!"

"It was Victor's idea." She laughed, "I was just the lackey."

"Lackey my butt." she snorted, "He's taking this security thing _way_ to far. I can protect myself."

"He knows that," Kory grinned, "But it makes him feel better."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But a missile? Why on earth would we need a missile in our floor boards?"

"In case of an emergency."

"He _does_ know Trigon isn't coming back, right?"

Kory rolled her eyes. She had wondered how long it would take for Rachel to catch on. Kory shook her head, then, she had that oh too familiar feeling.

"Rachel-" she started.

"We're almost there."

"I know, but I _really_ have to pee."

"Can you wait 3 minutes?"

"If we drive fast and avoid bumps. Because I _really_ have to go."

And that was why Kory ended throwing an old woman the ground and getting hit with a cane. Of course, she didn't care, since she had to go so bad, but she had turned back to help the old woman only resulting in getting a painful hit across her shoulder.

She was just glad that that had happened in the bathroom and none of her friends had seen. She wasn't sure which side they would take, after all. They obviously would make sure she and the old woman were okay, but she had mixed feelings about whether they may decide to beat up the old woman for hitting her or not. As funny as that thought was, it was irrelevant and seeing as to the old woman didn't want any help anyway, she rushed off without looking back.

She quickly locked the stall behind her, putting down loads and loads of toilet paper on the seat because she had no idea who else had their butts on the thing. Finally able to pee, she laughed at the ridiculous feeling of being relieved. It felt like heaven.

After cleaning herself and washing her hands, she peeked out the bathroom to make sure the old woman was gone. She wasn't, but she _was_ occupied with the free samples of figs. Figs, yech. Rachel had tried to get Kory to try some since it was known to make the digestion more... regular, but Kory parried the idea with a simple 'Rachel, I'm fine.'

If Kory was smart, she'd sneak out the bathroom before the figs worked their magic on the old woman.

Tip toeing out, she found her friends at their favorite table, the one right in the window. Since, of course, this was an organic restaurant, Kory was able to order whatever she wanted. Oh, the joy in that.

"Problem with the elderly?" Victor asked when she sat down.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"We saw you," Gar said, amused, "Hiding from the Fig Lady. She smelling already?"

"Gar." Rachel scolded, but her eyes held mirth and Kory just shook her head.

Arrow was outside the window, resting in the shade of the awning, and Kory felt bad about leaving him there.

"He's a dog," Rachel said, opening her menu, "They like to be outside."

Kory couldn't argue, so instead she opened her menu and looked at her choices. Mostly everything, it seemed, was either made with figs, yogurt, or something else she didn't know what was. Staying safe, she grumpily ordered a chicken Cesar salad, since she at least knew what was in that.

"We're getting closer," Gar said, half excited, half upset, "I can feel it."

He didn't have to say anything else. Everyone already knew what... or_ who_ rather... he was talking about.

"Of course, man." Vic added, "C'mon, this is _Dick _we're talking about. The guys done the impossible so many times the dictionaries had to change their definitions."

"They did, didn't they?" Rachel remembered fondly.

"Twice, I might add." Kory smiled.

Yes, her Richard was quite a man.

"He'll be strolling through town at twilight in no time." Gar said, "You guys know how he likes to go out at night."

"I keep thinking I'll see him on patrol," Vic said, "Just casually leaning up on the edge of a building, all weird-like, like he likes to do."

"You know he _likes_ tossing himself off of them," Gar laughed, "He says it's a challenge to find a way out of it."

"He doesn't do that anymore," Rachel said, hitting Gar's arm. "Remember. Kory had a whole lecture about it."

"Dudes always had issues." Victor said, shaking his head, "But he's one heck of a friend."

Everyone fell into a comfortable silence. Yes, Richard was quite the friend. Her _best_ friend, she might add. Her _first_ friend. Her first _boyfriend._ Her only love. It was impossible to forget him, like Xavier probably wanted her to, but she couldn't even stop thinking about him. How could she forget? Xavier, though, wasn't so bad. She had only seen him twice since his first visit.

The first time she had run into him while walking Arrow. They had had a pleasant talk about dogs. The second time she had called him, asking if he could pick up sugar for her. Her ankles, that day, had miraculously swollen to the sizes of melons and she had felt like chopping them off. But then, she had also wanted coffee, and she had seen Xavier pull out of his driveway in his Mercedes-Benz. Far too happy to please, he was back withing 10 minutes, and they had shared a cup of coffee, talking about dogs again.

Their safe topic.

Of course, since she texted Richard, at least she hoped she was, everyday, Xavier came up in the texts. Richard may not have even gotten the texts, but she was always nervous when she brought him up. They never _had _gotten along.

Like most times, she once again wondered why she was even texting to a phone that may have been lost, but then she remembered how much better she felt after texting him. It was like getting a weight off of her shoulders. She felt a fraction of how she always felt when she had talked to Richard. Things weren't as bad when she texted because there was always a chance that he might text her back.

She looked out the window at Arrow. She couldn't _wait_ to show him to Richard _when _(because he _was_ coming back eventually), he came back. He just seemed like a kind of dog person. He _had _lived with Beast Boy for years after all.

She sighed, even trying to eat, she thought about him. But she wasn't surprised. Because he was always apart of her everyday life. Because she would never forget this dreadful time. Because she was loathing any due dates of her baby without him. Because even though she mocked confidence, she was really scared. Because she would _never_ stop thinking of him.

And looking around at the grim faces of her friends, she knew everyone else was thinking about him too.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

* * *

A/N: Most people don't realize how long a month is. 1 month is a _long _time without someone you love that your used to seeing everyday. Poor Kor-Bear. Who else just wants to hug and squeeze her?

And it only gets juicier from here.

Well, that's all for this time, but I'll be back soon. Promise.

_ScarletDrake


	3. Month 3

Hey... hello...hola...hi... the works.

Not feeling very chatty or social right now. Just one of those days.

Had a lot going on, sorry this took so long. Other stories demand my attention too, but I haven't forgotten this one... promise.

So, enjoy, I guess.

* * *

It was oddly a lot more frequent.

His visits.

And even more oddly, she didn't mind them.

Looked forwards to them.

Something _must _have been wrong with her. It had to be. Xavier Redd was her husbands nemesis. They were enemies, but only they knew why. She had asked Xavier once, but he had expertly avoided the question and they had somehow found themselves talking about hot dogs.

"Here you go." he said, handing her her hot chocolate as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

He picked up the TV remote and pressed play, 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant' began with the theme song playing. He didn't like the show, always adverted his eyes when it got too graphic, but he liked her company and chose her over his dislike of watching childbirth. Even if it was a reenactment.

She watched the show for a moment, but her eyes wandered to the side of his face. She just couldn't see how someone like him, someone so nice and sweet, could get on her husbands nerves so bad. And she really knew Richard _loathed_ him.

"What?" he asked, noticing her staring. "Something on me?"

"No." she said simply, turning her face back to the TV.

But her mind wasn't there.

Suddenly, her jeans vibrated and a bright and cheery song played. Xavier took her hot chocolate and paused the show so that she could answer her phone. She was digging it out of her back pocket when Arrow barked from down the hall. Xavier put down the cup and went to probably let Arrow out to use the bathroom.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, Kor. How are you?"

"Fine Rachel," she sighed, "How'd the meeting go?"

"You ask every other week and I tell you the same thing."

"So nothing?"

"Nothing new."

"I expected it."

"Don't get so down, okay. We'll find something soon."

"But its been 3 months already-"

"Come on Kory. Have some faith."

"I'm running low on it Rachel. I really am."

"I know you are. We're all a little down-heartened, but, just keep trying okay? Focus on good things. Like your baby. Thinking of any names?"

"Richard." she said simply. She _had_ actually thought of the name, if it was a boy she was having, but she wasn't being serious with Rachel at the moment, just sarcastic.

"Okay, I see. You're in _that_ kind of mood. How about I come over later? We can do a chick-flick marathon. I'll bring some yogurt." she joked, and Kory made a face.

"Yes, to the movie. No, to the yogurt."

"Yogurt is good for you Kory. Come on. Just eat a little bit."

"Not gonna happen, Rachel. I-" she was interrupted by an anguished cry from Xavier.

Turning in her seat to look out the window behind her, she saw Xavier staring at his shoe. He looked a Arrow and then at his foot, and then screamed at the sky, as if the sun had done something wrong to him. He must have stepped in some of Arrow's... droppings.

"Who was that?" Rachel asked, and Kory drooped in her seat.

"It was...um... Xavier." she explained.

"_Why ?_" Rachel asked, hotly, "He was at your house _yesterday_. Why is he there again today?"

"Maybe-" Kory tried.

"I just don't understand that Kory." Rachel continued, "You _know_ how Dick felt about him. Why do you keep inviting him over?"

"I don't. I just-"

"I don't like him Kory. And yet you _keep_ letting him in."

"Rachel, I'm not a baby. I can-"

"Take care of yourself? Not in your condition. Tell me, just please tell me, he doesn't know the codes again. Victor changed them for that reason. Just tell me he doesn't know them."

Kory bit her lip. "See Rachel, the story is..."

"He knows them. Damn it Kory, he knows them, doesn't he?"

"Sometimes," she tried, "I just don't feel like getting up to answer the door. And its nice that if I need something, he can just come in."

"Kor, if you need something, you should come to _us._ Ryan, Victor, Gar, me. We're all trying to help you and your just getting more distant from us."

It was silent for a moment and Kory held back tears. She didn't mean to hurt anyone. And she didn't mean to make herself seem distant. She had just been feeling suffocated, and with Richard still being gone, she felt horrible. But she knew Rachel was yelling and angry because she felt hurt. Rachel, Kory's sister, was hurt because of her. And even though she yelled and cursed, Kory could hear the hurt in her voice.

"Rachel," she sniffed, "Just come over now. Don't wait."

"Alright." Rachel said, "I'll be there in a minute."

Kory hung up the phone and set it on the chair beside her. She wiped her eyes quickly, hearing the single alarm warn her that someone was within 10 feet of the house. Right on schedule, the back door opened and Xavier walked in, his shoe in hand. For some reason now, she wanted him gone. Wanted him to leave. Rachel's little speech had made her think a little, and now, Xavier was intruding in on her home. Her husband's home.

Her husband didn't like him, wasn't that enough reason for her not to?

But then, Xavier was so sweet and nice. What if Richard was jealous, or thought he might have just been a flirt? Maybe the two would be good friends if they tried.

"He knows how to make you a cup of tea, but you can't teach him to use a toilet?" Xavier joked about Arrow, but noticed her face, "Oh god, whats wrong?"

He sat down beside her, patting her leg, and she flinched at the contact. He didn't seem to notice, but she was suddenly feeling like she needed to vomit.

"Nothing." she said, smiling trying to cover the flinch. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Come on, tell me what happened."

_She wished she could tell how uncomfortable he was making her, but she couldn't bring herself to._

"It's fine Xavier. It really is nothing. Rachel's on her way over."

"And that's my cue." he joked again, standing up. "That woman really does hate me, so I'll just leave before she gets here."

"Good idea. Thanks for hanging out with me."

"Any time. You know I love hanging with you."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, something he did often, but after talking to Rachel it just felt... weird. Wrong.

"Call me later, okay?" he said, noticing her face fall again.

She nodded solemnly, but didn't look up at him.

He held out his arm and she took it, using it as support to pull herself up. She wasn't _hugely _pregnant, but she was noticeable now. She put her right hand on her back, and made her way down the long hallway to lock the door behind Xavier, Arrow following at her heals.

He opened the door but stopped before he stepped out. Turning around, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead again.

"Just call me anytime. Even before tonight. Even if Rachel's right next to you." he whispered to her.

It was wrong. How close he was to her face. How he was looking so deeply in her eyes. How his eyes kept flicking down to her lips.

She made her face looked confused, and it was enough to remind him who _he _was and who _she_ was, and he let her face go. He swallowed heavily and stepped back, almost falling off of the step down to the porch. His face was flaming and he looked incapable of speaking. True to his look, he turned wordlessly and hurried as fast as he could without running, across the lawn and across the street to his house.

That was wrong. How many times had a moment like that happened and she had done nothing to discourage him?

She was _married,_ and even _if_ her husband was missing, she still loved him and she still was married _to _him. She didn't even like Xavier like that. But then, why had she allowed him to be so close to her? Allowed him to kiss her forehead? Cup her face? Those were Richards rights. Only he could do that. He was the only male allowed to touch her like that.

It wasn't until Rachel pulled into the driveway, that she noticed she hadn't closed the door or left her spot.

"Whats wrong?" Rachel asked, quickly going over to her. "Your pale."

"I'm fine."

"You can tell that to anyone but me and have them think your telling the truth."

"I don't know," Kory whispered, tears already filling her eyes, "I just-"

"Hush," Rachel said, wrapping her arms around Kory and closing the door behind them, "I know this is all hard for you, and I'm sorry I yelled on the phone."

"You were right." Kory squeaked out. "I should have never let him in."

"Its in the past." Rachel waved off. "We'll deal with it another time."

Rachel guided Kory down the hallway and led her to the couch. She then left to the kitchen and Kory figured she was making herself some tea.

Sure enough, she came back a moment later with the hot mug in her hand.

"You know I just worry about you." she said, looking at the paused TV screen. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know," Kory said in a small voice. "I don't mean to hurt any of you."

"Kory we wouldn't know you if we didn't know that already. It's just, with Victor working so hard for that deadline and not being able to be here much, and Gar and I taking care of my sick mother, none of us have really been over here much. We hate leaving you alone and the thought of...him...here with you it's just..." she sighed heavily.

"I know you don't like him Rachel." Kory said, looking to her, "But why? He doesn't seem so bad."

"I don't like him," she answered, "Because Dick doesn't like him."

Kory shook her head in confusion, so Rachel continued.  
"When has Dick ever just, _hated,_ someone? When has he just _hated_ anything? He always thinks things through, Kory. Every step he makes is a calculated move he's already thought heavily through. I don't know why he doesn't like Xavier, but I can only think it's because of something calculated and thought through."

Kory was silent. Why hadn't she thought like that before? Richard _wasn't_ one to just..._hate_ things. He had a reason. He had reasons for everything.

"Put on the news," Rachel said, pointing at the TV, "You've got me hooked on this stupid show and I've seen just about every episode. Gar's actually afraid of it."

"Its not a guy kind of show," Kory said, putting on the news. "Hows your mother doing?"

Rachel stared at the star news story for a moment before she pointed at the TV, "Have you seen the riots in town?"

Kory shook her head, "Just on the news. I don't leave the house unless I need to, but I've been watching the news. Their horrible."

"10 killed, just this morning," Rachel read off the screen, "6 were below the age of 21."

"Do we know why they're doing this?" Kory asked, shaking her head, "Any connections? Any ideas?"

"None." Rachel sighed, "Cyborg and I have been all up and down the ideas. No specific age groups. No gender. And the captured rioters wont say a word. They'd rather die and/or go to jail. I've read their minds its just... violence."

"They feel like they can do whatever they want," Kory said lowly, "The main Jump Protector has been gone for months."

Rachel grabbed Kory's hand, but didn't look at her.

"He'll be back."  
"But what if he's not?" she snapped, but remembered herself. "3 months, Rachel. That's so long."

"He's been gone for six," Rachel reminded her, for the 5th time, probably that week. "When Slade kidnapped him, we had all but given up. You cried everyday, remember? But he came back. He escaped. And remember again, it was then that he confessed his love for you. Good things can come out of horrible situations."

_But what good would come out of this?_

Her husband was _gone._ Their was no beating around that bush. And she tried not to show it, but every minute he wasn't with her was _crushing_ her. She felt like a weight was pushing in on her at all sides. Like she had no way to breathe.

"You have an appointment." Rachel said, and Kory jumped, just remembering.

"X'hal!" she said, jumping up, "I forgot all about it!"

"I know." Rachel said, "Me too, but Ryan reminded me this morning. Come on, I'll go with you. Get your shoes."

"Already got them." she said, wiggling her shoe'd feet.

She was always prepared.

Together, they left the house, making sure Arrow had enough water and food until she got back.

It was getting warmer, so Kory was allowed to wear just a long-sleeved shirt and sweat pants. Being outside, with the warm breeze blowing and the sun shining on her, she almost felt... dare she say it... good. She hadn't been out to sunbathe in a while and feeling the sun like she was was just past amazing.

"Don't wanna be late." Rachel called from the car, and Kory followed.

* * *

"Everything's looking good," Dr. Richardson said, "Is today the day?"

Kory smiled, rubbing her stomach. "I think I want to be surprised."

"Suite yourself." he smiled, "A very popular choice now a days."

"I don't know why," Rachel spoke up, "I couldn't bear that kind of surprise."

"Well," Dr. Richardson, said, "It can only be two things. A boy or a girl. But you should have a name for both, just in case."

"She wont decide." Rachel sighed, "She's too indecisive."

"I have it narrowed down to about 20." Kory defended, "Yesterday it was 37."

Dr Richardson helped her sit up.

"Whatever you name the champ, I'm sure they'll be happy with it."

"Thanks for the visit," Kory said, hoping off the bed. "Same time in 2 weeks?"

"Same time." he nodded. "Don't forget you pills."

"She's not allowed." Rachel said, looping her arm through Kory's.

Walking with their arms looped, they made their way down the hallway.

"Want me to do it?" Rachel asked, and Kory nodded her head.

Rachel put her head down, allowing her short hair to cover her eyes. But Kory was close enough to see that they were glowing white. Kory felt a familiar buzz in her head and she opened her mind.

"Its done." Rachel said, and together, they got on the elevator, and thanks to Rachel, Kory didn't feel like she'd vomit.

They were nearly home when Rachel spoke.

"You know my mother is sick," she said, "Really sick."

Kory's eyebrows furrowed and she felt horrible for her friend. Rachel didn't visit her mother often, but since she had gotten sick, Rachel had been there nearly every weekend and most weekdays. She had to leave Garfield often, because Gar still got pretty sick when he switched dimensions.

"I know Rachel," she responded, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. Shes getting older. But anyway, she doesn't have much longer and Gar and I have been talking and, well, we decided that we'd stay with her until she passed."

Kory nodded in understanding, "I am glad. You and Gar _should_ be with her right now. You'd regret it if you weren't."

"That's what Gar said. But you know Victor will be out of town until next month and I don't know how long Gar and I will be gone."

"Next month is over in two weeks." Kory pointed out. "It's fine Rachel. I'll be okay. You and Gar go, be with your mother."

"It's just that with all of these criminals and crimes going on-"

"I'll be fine." Kory pushed, "Arrow will be here and so will my brother. Don't worry. Your focus should be on your mom and how on earth your going to get Gar to get back in that portal."

"It does get harder." she smiled, "You know I would take you with me, but switching dimensions with the baby is dangerous and Ray will be calling _you_ if anything comes up. I've already let him know Vic, Gar, and I will be out of town so your all set up."

"I'll be fine." Kory said again, noticing Rachel's crestfallen face.

"I know you will," Rachel said, glancing at her, "I know."

Kory waved once when Rachel dropped her off. Rachel didn't bother to stay, she and Gar were leaving sometime that night and Rachel had to pack for the both of them, since Gar was a horrible packer. Opening the door to the house, she was met with a yipping Arrow. He had come running out of the kitchen and Kory raised an eyebrow. Whenever she went back into the house, he was normally waiting by the door.

Hearing footsteps, Kory froze. Someone was in her house.

But she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a familiar redhead come out of the kitchen. She shook her head and went in the house, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Hey Ryan." she said, finding herself enveloped in one of his famous hugs.

"Hey you." he said and she saw this his mouth was full of what was probably the last of her red velvet cake.

"Your eating my cake." she said, seriously.

But he juts laughed and softly poked her stomach.

"Not like you need more food."

"You know _I'm_ supposed to be the one wallowing about being fat. Your way ahead of your game."

"Eh, something you'll have to live with."

She followed him to the living room when he flopped down, sitting Indian style.

"Miss sitting like this?" he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Not even." she lied. "I like my swollen ankles _much _more, thank you."

"I'm sure. So, how you been. I know you had an appointment today."

"I never understand how you remember them. _I _don't even remember those."

"I set a reminder in my phone. You should too."

"Oh I don't need to." she waved off, "With you and Rachel, I'm pretty much set."

"She leave yet? Heard she was going to stay with her mom."

"Yeah, her and Gar. But not yet. She'll text me before she goes."

"Right. Hows her mom doing?"

Kory shook her head and Ryan got the gist. Together, they sat in silence for a moment. But it was soon interrupted when she heard a startled gasp from her brother. She followed his horrified face to the TV screen, where a woman had been reenacting giving birth in an amusement park toilet.

"X'hal." he breathed, before turning his attention away.

"Dont do that," she laughed at him, "When I go into labor, I'll look just like that. And I want _you_ to be there holding my hand. You can even cut the umbilical cord."

Ryan mocked vomiting, but she laughed at how his face was really blanching. He looked like her. It was odd. He was 3 years younger than her, but the two of them were often mistaken for twins. Of course, they _were_ the same height, and that kind of threw people off a bit. But they also shared the same vibrant green eyes and orange skin. Now, Ryan's hair was a bit darker than Kory's, but that was because he was outside and in the sun more. He was a good-looking boy, if she could say so herself, but he was holding off on relationships. He was still a little self-conscious in his knowledge on earth things even after being on earth for 7 years. He figured a 'proper woman' deserved someone smart, and while he was beyond smart, his cultural skills lacked a bit. Which, of course, Kory disagreed with.

He had come to earth when he was 13. When he had finally come back to Tamaran, after being sent away during the Gordanian invasion, he had learned of Kory and Komi's existence. That was when he was 12. He would have been at earth sooner, but Galfore had _insisted_ he spend some time at Okaara, just in case he decided to rule the planet. The people would accept him better if he was well versed in all types of skills and fighting.

When that was over, he flew straight to earth. Happy reunion. Startled Starfire. Excited team. The whole shebang. And then, he had kissed Raven. It still made Kory laugh. The look on both her _and_ Gar's face. By then, the two had been dating and it had taken both Kory and Robin to stop Beast Boy from killing her brother. It took a whole three days to convince him that Ryan only wanted to learn English. And it took weeks after that to get Ryan comfortable being around Gar. But now, the two were like old buddies. Brothers.

"I've been meaning to ask you about Arrow," Ryan said seriously, and Kory raised an eyebrow.

"What about him?"

"He's... he's using the stove."

Kory laughed. Yes, Arrow used the stove, but only to make her tea. She could pretty much teach Arrow anything, and if there was something he didn't understand, Gar would just turn into a dog and explain it to him. It was pretty simple.

"Just ignore him." she said, taking the simple answer.

"Lets watch TV." she said, reaching for the remote, and before he could reject, she had played her favorite show.

* * *

It took another two hours after the show went off for some color to finally return to Ryan's face.

"That was horrible." he said, still a bit traumatized.

"You mean educational."

"_Mystifying_."

She rolled her eyes. It hadn't been _that_ bad. She walked him to the door moments later. It was late, and he had worked all day.

"I'll be back tomorrow," he informed her, "It's my day off."

She wanted to tell him that he should stay at his own apartment. That he should relax and try to get some rest. It was a rare day when he had time off of work. But she couldn't bring herself to do anything but nod. Rachel must have been right. She must have been distancing herself from them, because at that moment, she was already missing her brother. And he hadn't even left yet.

"Keep your doors locked," he said, kissing her cheek, "You know there are crazies running around here at night."

"Already had the lecture," she informed him and he nodded.

"Drive safe!" she called, watching him get in his red convertible car.

_Yes, she was already missing him._

Walking back into the house and up the stairs to her room, she almost tripped over Arrow, who was relaxing on the stairs. He was as tall as her knees now, but his size didn't bother her much. He was a sweety pie. He was her first baby. Her practice. And while she didn't have to change his diaper or bottle feed him milk, she found that it was exhausting watching over him. But she looked at it like practice. She'd be ten times that tired when her baby arrived.

After changing into her pajamas and using the bathroom, she settled into her bed. She still only slept on half of it, but Arrow was beginning to think the other half was for him. When Richard came back, he'd have a hard time adjusting to that, she knew.

Picking up her phone from her nightstand, she saw that Rachel had texted her a quick goodbye, as did Gar and Victor. They were now all officially, unreachable. She shook her head. Like she told Rachel and her brother, she would be fine. She wasn't worried about a thing. She was about to lay down to go to sleep when she remembered; she hadn't texted Richard yet. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but like always, she started with her morning.

* * *

A/N: So, what'd you think? Make sure you **_Read and_ _Review_**because if you don't, magical things wont happen.

ScarletDrake


	4. Month 5

Been a while, sorry about that.

I got caught up in my other stories, which is why I only try to do one at a time. But... eh, it just happened.

Sorry about the wait, again.

Read this (while ignoring errors).

Enjoy!

* * *

She... was a whale.

A big, fat, over-bloated whale.

A whale who couldn't fit any jeans. Any shirts. And _definitely _wasn't wearing any skirts.

Why?

Because she was fat.

"Your not fat." Rachel said, over the phone, "Your pregnant. Its been 5 months and you still don't know that?"

"Rachel," Kory complained, "_Nothing_ will zip up. And none of my shirts come down all the way. I'm a buffalo. Why am I so _fat?_"

"Simple answer to that. You. Are. Pregnant. You will gain weight. You have gained weight. It's not the end of the world."

"But my stuff-"

"-Will just have to be moved to the back of your closet. You just need some new clothes, is all."

Kory really wished Rachel was back in Jump so that the two could go shopping together. But Rachel's mom had passed the week before and Rachel had taken it rather hard. Gar insisted that the two of them take a vacation of sorts. To allow her to get her emotions back on track. They were currently taking a road trip around the outskirts of California. Kory agreed to the trip wholeheartedly, but that left her feeling kind of fat and alone.

Her brother was back to working. He still came on weekends, but the weekdays were much longer. Victor had needed to stay in Texas, where his meeting had taken place, and wouldn't be back for another two weeks. Even Xavier had a business trip to go on.

"I guess I knew this day was coming." she sighed.

"That's the first intelligent thing you've said in ten minutes. And- oh wait, Gar's coming back from the bathroom. If he sees me doing anything besides relaxing, he'll have a cow."

"You mean turn _into_ a cow."

"Exactly."

"Well, have fun on your trip."

"And buy something nice."

"Okay," she giggled, "Bye."

It was still early yet. She mine as well just go out and buy herself some things.

She put on her biggest pair of sweat pants and went through her drawers. Yeeeah, she expected it, but it was shocking not to have _any _shirts she could wear. She bit her lip. There was another option. She had another choice. There was one other place she could go to find a big enough shirt. There was another certain armoire that held bigger shirts. Shirts that she hadn't even looked at, for 3 months. Shirts she hadn't seen on a person, in 3 months.

She swallowed hard and walked to the other side of the room. Richards armoire was big and probably had more clothes in it than hers did. But she wasn't planning on lingering. No, she just wanted to throw the doors open, grab one of his t-shirts, and slam it back. It felt wrong to disturb his things, even though she had been in it many times before.

But of course, that's not how things turned out. About 5 minutes later, she found herself bawling in tears, on the floor, surrounded by some of his numerous clothes. She had pulled out socks and underwear, his pants and belts. She was only looking for a shirt, but she couldn't help it. All his stuff smelled like him. Reminded her _of _him.

But she pulled herself together, and began folding his clothes back, neatly putting them back in the drawers. She sniffed as Arrow approached her timidly, and sat by her side. He was beginning to look more like a dog now, and less like a puppy. But she didn't mind, the bigger he was, the more people left her alone.

She wiped at her eyes angrily, the tears still falling. It wasn't fair that he was still gone. Wasn't fair that he had left virtually no clues. _Three months!_ That was so long. She had thought 3 days was bad. With the clothes folded, she pulled out a white shirt.

But, as she was putting away a pair of his track pants the familiar sound of crunching paper hit her ears. She didn't need to know what it meant. She searched the pants, finding a small, folded up piece of paper inside. Standing up as fast as she could, she rushed to her bedside table and pulled a small box from it. She didn't remember where she had gotten the box, but opened it on her bed.

The box already had four other folded up pieces. Opening them up, she laid them down on her bed and put them in order. The first one was the one she had found in his duffel bag. **I love you.** The second one had been in his closet tucked in one of his running shoes. **I will always love you.** The third one had been in the hallway closet, in his jacket pocket. **I haven't forgotten.** She didn't know what that one meant, but the fourth one (the one that had been in the kitchen cabinet, where the cups went) made more sense of it. **What its like. **But even still, that was a bit fuzzy. She unfolded her new find and laid it at the end of the makeshift sentence. **To be with you.**

She put her face down in the bed and cried, for the second time that day. But she wasn't surprised, she cried _whenever_ she found one of his notes. It was like a routine.

She hated and loved those notes at the same time. They were vague and simple, but something about them made them seem important. As if he knew something like this would happen. Like he expected it. She wasn't sure whether or not that was a good or bad thing.

Tucking the notes back in the box, she placed it back in her drawer. No one knew about them. It was her little secret. Were they evidence? Probably, but she knew they were meant for her. It would feel wrong to hand over his love letters. She had already studied them in detail. Crossing and uncrossing the possible messages that may have been hidden. But nothing.

She found herself, again, thinking about how many of those notes had actually been around the house. She had already searched the car with zero results.

She got up, putting on the white t-shirt and left the room. What good was wallowing in there for no reason? Well, maybe not for no reason. Like they always did, those notes lifted up her spirit. Reminded her of how sweet her husband was. Reminded her of the love they shared.

Going into the kitchen for a drink of water, she heard a loud scratching noise and blew out an annoyed breath.

"Arrow." she said, turning around. "Get down."

He was up on the counter again. She cursed herself for starting that stupid habit when he was a puppy. But he had been so small then. Now, well, he was certainly bigger. Arrow tilted his head at her, like he didn't understand, but she knew very well he understood. But crying had taken a lot of her energy, and she just didn't feel like fighting with him.

She let him outside to go to the bathroom quickly, before leaving the house. The mall didn't allow pets and he had to stay home while she brought some clothes. She hurried to her car and pulled out of her driveway. Her brother would not be happy to know she had left the house without someone. The crimes and random law-breaking was putting him on edge. He liked her to be escorted all places and all times of the day. She didn't even get to walk Arrow anymore, now, that was Xavier and her brothers job.

As she probably should have expected, her brother and Xavier didn't quite get along. Well that was a lie. Her brother hated Xavier. With a burning passion. And he'd no sooner kick down her front door if he had even the slightest notion that Xavier was in her house.

She didn't know why everyone hated Xavier so bad. He was a good person. A good friend to her. He was there when the others couldn't be, and while she knew Rachel, though she never said so, feared that Xavier would try to steal Kory from Richard, Kory knew that would never happen. She was _friends_ with Xavier. Nothing more. And even _if_ he wanted something more with her, she would never give it to him.

She loved her husband. Her Richard.

She pulled into a parking spot as close to the doors as she could. She didn't much feel like walking and if her brother were to find out that she was outside _and_ walking across empty parking lots, he'd have an ulcer.

She smiled, he was so over-protective.

Destination Maternity had a lot of good clothes, she observed from the window outside. She might be able to find a good amount of things she needed right in the same store. Many birds with one stone. Perfect.

She grabbed a cart and threw in mostly big t-shirts and sweat pants carelessly. She scarcely left her house and when she did it was to do things like this. She needed to dress up for no one. She was tossing in some socks and a fruity drink when she happened to see a redhead round the corner into the aisle she was in.

She blinked a moment as that 'I know you from somewhere' feeling crept into her.

"Barbara?" she asked, and the woman looked up, a bright smile on her face.

"Shut up. No way, Kory?"

"Barbara." Kory laughed again, the woman approaching her.

"Whoa," she said, looking Kory over and seeing her stomach, "Been busy?"

"No." Kory said, giving the girl an awkward side hug, "The opposite actually. I've been home for the past few months."

"I heard about..." Barbara trailed off, and both girls were quiet for a moment, "How you been?"

"Fine." Kory lied, "Its been hard, but I know how to adapt."

"I know how that feels."

Another awkward silence filled. Kory welcomed the new face, she hadn't seen anyone she knew, besides her usual friends and brother and Xavier, in quite a while. And while Barbara and her never really got along, because Barbara so obviously was in love with Richard, it was kind of nice seeing her. Seeing another woman who cared and was able to go out and do normal, typical, girl things. It made Kory really hate being locked in that house.

"So," Kory said, "You're in the maternity aisle. You been busy?"

Barbara laughed, "Quite the opposite actually. But no, no buns in my oven. I came here for some coconut milk. This is the only place in the whole mall that sells it. You like coconut?"

"Not really," Kory said, scrunching her face, "Never really liked the island foods."

"Me either," she agreed, "But, coconut makes a great healing salve. Cuts. Scrapes. A coconut could probably heal cancer."

"A healing salve?" Kory asked, but Barbara got quiet.

Kory figured it was a Batgirl thing. She may have been on some mission or something. Batgirl didn't really hang around Jump, only when she wanted to see Richard. And since she clearly already knew about Richard... she must be on some mission. Maybe she was looking for Richard herself. And honestly, Kory didn't mind. She didn't _much_ like the girl, but she'd except her help finding her husband any day.

"How are you?" Barbara asked suddenly, and it took Kory by surprise.

"Barbara, I'm fi-"

"Dont say your fine," she cut off, "You and I didn't always see eye to eye, but I _do _feel like I know you. Not as well as Raven or one of the guys, but well enough to know you're doing worse than you say."

Kory suddenly felt the tears rising. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe not, but Kory had been holding back a lot of her feelings. And for Barbara, _Barbara, _to be the one to point it out only made Kory want to cry that much more.  
"I'm coming over," Barbara said, a statement. "I heard Rachel was out of town and you could probably use some girl time. We'll do a chick flick or something. Order some Chinese. Sound alright?"

"That... sounds perfect." Kory admitted, "It would be nice to take my mind off of some things."

Barbara nodded and traded phone numbers, just in case she forgot the address. Then they parted ways; Barbara probably to find her husband or do some other typical thing.

Kory threw in a new pair of slippers in her cart before paying for her things and leaving the store and headed home. It would be nice to have Barbara over, right? She seemed to mean well, and it _had_ been a long while since she had last been over. Maybe Barbara had gotten over Richard and she was trying to be friendly again.

Pulling into her driveway, she saw muddy footprints led up the walkway and to her house. There was no car in her driveway, so she knew it wasn't her brother, and Rachel and the guys were out of town. Knowing it was Xavier, she made her way inside house.

Immediately after opening the door the sound of her TV blaring and it made her jump. It smelt like something was burning and her smoke alarm was going off. She left the door open, knowing every cop and fireman with 50 miles of Jump would be alerted in a few short minutes. Victor made that a necessity.

"Kory!" she heard, and looked up to see Xavier coming from her kitchen, flour coating him completely, "Your home."

"Yes," she said slowly, swinging the door open and closed to try and blow the smoke from the fire alarm, "And your burning down my house?"

"No," he said, as if that were the most ridiculous thing to say, "I noticed you had some cake ingredients, thought I'd give it a try."

"But you don't cook."  
"And you don't leave notes. I thought you'd been kidnapped or something when no one answered the door."

"Since when does stepping out of the house means I've been kidnapped?"

"Since someone who never leaves the house suddenly leaves the house."

"Touche."

Maybe she'd grown accustomed to staying locked up in the house, but what reason did she have to leave anyway? The detective either stopped by or phoned, and he never had any good news anyway. Rachel and Victor made sure her fridge was always stocked, Arrow used the backyard for his exercise, and any quick runs she needed Xavier did for her. What did she need to leave the house for?

"I just needed some new stuff, so I went to the maternity store." she told him, relieved when the fire alarm finally stopped blaring, "But guess who I ran into."

"Who?"

"Barbara Gordon."

"No," he said, beginning to clean the messy kitchen, "Not deadly-in-love-with-your-husband Barbara. What was she doing at a maternity store?"

"Apparently looking for coconuts. Anyway, she invited herself over tonight and we were going to do a little girls night kind of thing."

"Eh," he groaned, "I guess that means we're not watching the new Iron Man."  
"Another time," she suggested, and he just shrugged.

"I could probably use the time to do work that should already be done."

He stayed a while longer, just talking and cleaning, but she didn't mind. Her brother was working on a project and he'd be busy for a while. Time with Xavier was just time talking, and that she needed. She was never the kind of person to be alone for very long. She always had friends around, and if she didn't, then she made new ones.

Arrow greeted her happily as she did her little waddle dance back towards the kitchen after locking up behind Xavier. With nothing else to do, she grabbed a Chinese and ordered almost half the menu. She wasn't really sure what Barbara liked, so she got a variety.

It was weird expecting company. When her brother came over, it felt more like he was coming home than visiting. When Vic or Gar or Rachel stopped by it felt like that too. Even with Xavier and the detective. She didn't have many new guests and it made her want to start cleaning, even though it was spotless.

It might have been her nerves or just her baby, but she used the bathroom about 6 times within a half an hour. Her record was 8, but she had been drinking a lot of juice that day and it didn't count.

It wasn't long before the door bell rang and Barbara and the delivery man arrived at the same time. She had to pee again but refused to leave either people on her porch. She paid the man and let Barbara in.

"Still looks the same," Barbara said, looking around and making herself comfortable.

She heading to the kitchen, a little skip in her step. She had a large pocketbook over her shoulder and slung it onto the table.

"I brought apple cider." she said, holding up the bottle. "Us grown folks like to drink, but you pregnant, so we have to make due."

"Cider is fine," Kory said, already moving to get some glasses out, "I haven't had any in forever."

"Me either," she confessed, "When I was younger, my mother used to give me this when her and my father had wine. Made me feel like I was part of the bunch. I think that was the last time I had some."

"Childhood is always the best time of life."

"No hood like childhood," Barbara said, pouring the cider in the glasses. "So, what mood are you in? Do you want to cry or laugh or swoon. Because I have a whole mental list."

It took Kory a minute to realize she meant a movie.

"Right." she said, "How about a comedy. I _really_ would love to laugh tonight."

"Comedy it is. I think the last one I saw was This Means War. Good movie, and Chris Pine is hot."

Kory laughed a little, her eyes widening when she realized that the 'pocket book' Barbara had brought was actually a case full of movies. She skipped a few movies and pulled out the right DVD.

"I came prepared," she admitted, noticing Kory's staring, "I figured you might want to see two or something. Batman, he trained me to always be prepared and now I'm a freak. Just ignore me, its his fault."

Smiling, Kory set up the DVD player. Maybe having Barbara over wasn't such a bad idea.

Kory blinked her eyes open.

She had to pee _so _bad.

The first thing she noticed, though, was that she was still on her living room couch. Chinese containers litter the room, some on the floor, which was probably Arrow's fault. The TV was still on, playing the news now, and Barbara was gone.

There was a message scribbled on one of the Chinese containers, though, and Kory picked it up.

_Some party, huh? That cider **must **have had some alcohol in it because I **never** fall asleep in the middle of the Notebook. Anyway, its late and I figured I'd just sneak out. I have a plane to catch and you looked so peaceful sleeping. We should do this again sometime!_

_-Barbara_

So Barbara was gone, but that was expected. They had watched every movie Barbara had, and then another two on demand. They drunk the whole bottle of cider (mostly Barbara) and finished the Chinese food (mostly Kory). Kory realized that it was 10:30 and got up from the chair. She hardly ever slept in that late.

After using the bathroom and taking a quick shower, she cleaned the living room up. She really did hope Barbara and her could do that again. It was fun. She wondered for a brief moment of where Barbara had flown to. Gotham wasn't a flying distance away so she had to be going somewhere far.

Calling Arrow, she was about to let him out side to use the bathroom when her doorbell rang. Arrow ran to her happily, but yipped sadly when she didn't open the back door. When she opened the front door, though, he ran past her and knocked the detective away.

"Detective Ray," Kory greeted, moving aside to let him in, but he didn't come.

Her heart was racing. Ray hardly ever stopped by. He usually called because their was nothing to report. But now, he was here. And he looked agitated. Excited. Energy-bond. He knew something.

"You can drive," she said, grabbed Arrow's leash off of its hook.

She was actually at the car before Ray was, and Arrow hoped in the backseat like a good dog. Kory already had her phone out before Ray even started the car. A three-way line opened up and Gar answered first.

"Your in labor, aren't you?" he asked, and suddenly Vic answered too.

"She's only 5 months, you doof," he said.

"Kory?" came Rachel's voice, "You alright? This is a three-way. Whats going on?"

Kory didn't respond, she just put her phone on speaker.

"Detective Ray is here," she said loudly, "I don't know whats going on yet."

"Its imperative that you all come down to the station," Ray spoke up, "We have... news."

"Don't start crying on me," Rachel said, and that comment pushed back the tears that had spring up in Kory's eyes, "Any news is better news than just being in the dark, okay?"

"We'll push through this, little lady," Vic spoke up. "We always do."

"Yeah," Gar added, "Since when does _anything_ keep us Tita- uh, _family, _I mean, down? We're just good like that."

"We're actually just a few minutes away," Rachel said, "We'll probably beat you there."

Then the line went dead. Kory knew they were actually miles and miles away, but Ray didn't know Rachel could open a portal and beat them to office, so she made up a little white lie.

Kory tapped her feet on the bottom of Ray's white Honda. She was freaking out now. What news did they know? And why wasn't he speaking now? Worst case scenario, her husband was dead. The thought broke her heart.

"Wow," Ray said, "She was right, they _were _closer."

Kory simply nodded and got out when he parked. There was a lady nearby who took Arrow and put him on a leash. With a nod, she and Arrow went jogging towards another entrance to the building.

"Arrow's fine with Jessica," Ray said, and Kory nodded, making her way towards Rachel and the others.

"You alright?" Rachel asked, meeting her halfway, "Somethings wrong."

Kory's hands began to tremble. If Rachel knew something was wrong...

"It's alright," Vic insisted, splitting them up and putting his arm around the two, "We stick together."

"No matter what," Gar agreed, taking Rachel's hand.

Their position, with Vic in the middle, Kory and Rachel on either sides, and Gar holding Rachel's hand was comforting. It was familiar. Of course, Richard normally had her hand, but the setup was enough to calm her a bit. Instead, of allowing herself to freakout, she breathed in Victor's smell and kept her eyes focused on the back of Ray's head as he lead them to his office.

But they passed his office and continued down the hall. Rachel looked around Victor at Kory, and Kory looked back. They weren't going to Ray's office?

Rachel shook her head in a way that probably meant _calm down, _but Kory picked up a bit of panic. Rachel was clearly trying to get inside of Ray's head. She couldn't wait any longer. Rachel leaned back and Kory couldn't see whatever reaction she got to figuring what happened out.

"Bathroom." Rachel said out loud to Ray, making him stop, "Kory and I should go first."

"Right." Ray said, nodding, "Its right there. Meet us in this room here."

"Got it," Rachel said detangling herself from Gar and Vic and looping her arm through Kory's.

Rachel pushed her down the hall Ray pointed to and Kory found herself being shoved in the bathroom.

"Go." Rachel instructed.

"But Rae, I don't have to-"

"Go."

Kory went into the stall and found that she actually _did _have to go. She just hadn't felt the need yet. Rachel didn't go, though and Kory wondered just why she was forced to go so soon. Maybe she should just ask...

"I'm not saying a word," Rachel said quietly, and it was then that Kory caught a sight of a tear.

Rachel. Was. Crying.

"He's dead." Kory whispered, more to herself. "He's dead and you don't want anyone to see you cry."

"He's not dead." Rachel said, and fifty million explanations and questions went whizzing through Kory's mind.

"Then why are you cry-"

"Just come on," Rachel said, wiping her tears away, "You need to see this for yourself."

Rachel looped their arms again and opened the bathroom door, but Kory's mind was a stir. If Richard wasn't dead... then what was the problem. This was great news! Fabulous news! She was ecstatic. More happy than she had been in months. But then, shouldn't Rachel feel that way too? Why had she cried? It had been _four_ months. And now, Ray knew her husband w as alive. Didn't that mean they knew where he was? She knew her husband. If he could, he'd be on his way back. He would fight for her, she knew he would.

_He loved her._

"Haven't seen or heard anything, yet." Gar said as they entered the room, reading her mind. "We're waiting on you two."

The room was full and very loud. Gar and Victor occupied two of several seats in a dark room. The whole room was circular and steps were arranged so that they led down towards the center of the room. There was a off big screen TV at the end of the room on the wall, which all of the chairs were facing. Vic, Gar, and Ray were at the top of the room in a little secluded set of seats. The other chairs were further down, all having tables in front of them with wires and computers and ringing phones to peoples ears. Every one was talking and yelling and writing things down. There was a man near the TV with a chalk board and he was writing numbers at what seemed like an inhuman speed.

Rachel helped Kory up the stairs and into the seat between Vic and her, while Gar was at the end, next to Ray.

"You've found my husband, right?" Kory asked him, no longer able to hold in any questions. "He's alive and okay, right?"

Rachel took Kory's hand, and Kory squeezed it tight.

"We have found your husband," Ray said, his voice lacking the much expected joy. "And he is fine and healthy."

He grabbed a nearby remote and pointed it at the screen down at the end of the room. With the press of a button, it came on and a picture of Richards face popped up on it. Kory immediately remembered the picture. The original had all of them in it, but Richards face was clearly cut out and used as some kind of reference point.

Despite the negative air around her, Kory took this all as good signs. She knew her Richard. He loved her. He'd do everything in his power to get back to her. But if he was fine and alright... then shouldn't he be home by now?

"We've found his location," Ray said, clicking another button on the remote, "Near the coast of Langkawi."

The TV image shifted and showed a Google Earth appearing image and zoomed into a island near Thailand. A red and blue dot were blinking on the coast of it, and Kory wondered which one Richard was and who the other was.

Someone sat beside her, and her heart stopped. She could see it now. This was all a hoax. Richard had been flown in the night before and they had all made arrangements to surprise her. Rachel was in on it, playing the lead part. She had used bathroom tap water to make it seem like she was crying. Even Jessica, the dog lady, was in on it.

But turning her head, she was met with two redheads. Wally West and her brother. Apparently they had been notified, which was good, because she hadn't thought to call them. Her brother nor Wally looked towards her, both their eyes glued on the screen, but her brother took her hand, careful not to squeeze it too tight.

The image had changed to scenery on the island. A white beach stretching out over crystal blue water. Coconut tree's that little children were picking coconuts from. Bananas and pears and exotic side running crabs. A waterfall was shown and the picture had been taking as a girl and guy had jump from it, cannon ball style.

"That's all nice and stuff," Gar said, his leg bouncing uncontrollably, "You know the island and whatnot. But why the sad faces? He's alive and fine. And, from the looks of it, he's on some kind of paradise. Why haven't you flown him back yet?"

Gar said the very thing on her mind. Why was her husband still out there? He shouldn't be a red/blue blinking dot on Google Earth. He should be a red/blue blinking dot next to another rainbow-ish color that indicated _her _position. He needed to be here. And not there. Beside her. And not far away. What was the wait for?

"We haven't made contact with Mr. Grayson, yet," Ray said, "We wanted your approval first."  
"Well, you have it." Wally spoke up, "Call him up and get his butt back here."

"If it's too much trouble," Ryan said, "I can arrange for him to be picked up myself. I can have him here within the next 12 hours."

"Just get him here," Victor said, "We don't care how you do it."

"You should be aware, though," Ray said, and Rachel squeezed her hand tightly, "That we have proof that this was no kidnapping. It was a voluntary move."

There was silence and Kory was sure Ryan was going to snap her hand in half, but she didn't care. Didn't move. Ray was lying. He _had_ to be lying. He was paid off, just like the last detective. Richard loved her. He _loved _her. And he'd do everything in his power to be back with her. He would never stay away from her because he _wanted_ to. He just wouldn't.

Ray continued.

"We came across his flight ticket information by accident, it was booked 3 weeks in advanced, along with another."

"Who's the other?" Wally asked, sounding almost breathless."

Ray clicked a button on the remote pulling up another picture and Kory was sure her heart stopped.

"The second ticket," Ray said, "Was booked for a Ms. Barbara Gordon. Langkawi airport showed a record of her and Grayson's passport being checked in late the night he disappeared. She's 24 and lives in Gotham. Her record suggest that she and Mr. Grayson-"

"We know her," Vic snapped, "Know her too well."

A video was playing on the screen, surveillance footage, and she saw easily Richard walk towards a desk with Barbara on his heals. He had on casual clothes, khaki pants and a polo shirt, while Barbara had on a floofy sun dress. She was laughing at something he had said, but the video was mute. They both flashed their passports to a lady at the desk and continued on their way.

"Ms. Gordon went back to said location," Ray went on, "Early this morning. Her flight landing just a few hours ago."

Images taken of the car in the alley came up.

"We conclude," Ray said, "That Grayson planted the movie tickets, and the change of clothes in the car to fool police, and while it worked for a while, his continuous use of a native credit card caught our attention."

A list of receipts popped up on the screen, now, looking like they were photocopies and probably sent from the Langkawi police.

"We've contacted the police there," Ray said, "And have copies of all of their purchases. They rented a bungalow, there are plenty of food receipts, water ski's, climbing rope, a _Crazy Chaz's _receipt for a helicopter ride, a big payment for rented horses. Big things, but nothing that suggests any force or abuse."

This was all fake. All planted. Richard wasn't out there having _fun_. He was suffering. He had to be. She _wanted _him to be. Because that meant he was still trying to get back. It meant he hadn't gone with Barbara, the very girl she had begun to like, on a vacation. It was all wrong.

"Surveillance has caught them only a few times," Ray admitted, "But enough to show that he is in no danger."

Ray, clearly hesitant, pushed a button and a black and white picture of Richard came up. It wasn't clear, clearly from a shopping camera since there were clothes racks in the back, but Kory knew his face better than her own. In the picture he was holding about seven different shirts, but even then, his eyes were focused on Barbara who wasn't paying attention to him as she went through a rack of clothes. His happy, smiling face. He was smiling so broadly that his eyes crinkled at the end, like Kory loved.

The picture switched again, this time in color and outside. The scenery was beautiful; the sky a setting orange and purple, sea shells and crabs littering the beach the picture showed. There were palm trees all around, but between the two in the focus of the picture was Richard legs hanging out of a hammock. The picture didn't _actually _show his face, but she noticed his black chucks immediately. She almost, but didn't, fail to notice the thinner, flip-flop wearing, legs beside his, also tucked into the hammock.

The picture changed again and it showed the inside of the bungalow. It was bamboo themed, with light colored wood. Beautifully decorated with colorful furniture and a big kitchen. The picture, was focused towards a room, though. The picture quality was good and colorful, but the placement was bad and half the picture was cut off by a bedroom door. But you could see inside clearly, and Kory's eyes immediately were drawn to the bed, in which Richard was casually strewn across. Leaning back against the headboard, his legs were crossed and he was looking intently at something in his hands. The camera didn't show what had he had in his hands, but it did catch a glimpse of red hair laying next to him. It meant Barbara was there. In the same room. In the bed. Beside him.

"That's enough," her brother spoke up, for the first time easing his grip off her hand.

Ray shut off the TV and the lights in the room got brighter and the people got a little louder; some people going back to work, having taken a break to watch the slide show.

"It's you call whether you want to call him," Ray said, and he stood to allow Kory to think, but she didn't need to think. "We can have the Langkawi police give him a sheriff phone so you can talk to him."

"Call him." she said, but Rachel stood up.

"Dont call."

All eyes were drawn to Kory and Rachel. The boys shared a look before leaving, but Ray stayed behind.

"We're calling him," Kory told him, "I don't know whats going on here, but I'm getting my husband back."

"Kory," Rachel told her, "You know exactly whats going on here, and playing dumb isn't going to change that. He's cheating, and I say we leave his pathetic ass alone and move on with our lives. We know where he is, great, but we don't need him back."

"How can you say that?" Kory asked, disbelieving, "This is Richard here. Your friend. The other best-man at your wedding. _My _husband. For all we know Barbara could have blackmailed him!"  
"Did he look miserable?" Rachel asked, and the way she said it made the information sting harder, "Did he look blackmailed? He's out there having the time of his life, and he isn't looking back. Hasn't looked back. We've said it before, he doesn't do things without thinking. This is something he's thought long and hard about. If this is his decision, I say we let him live with it."

Kory was shaking her head. How could she not call him? Talk to him. All those months that had gone by she had been nothing but worried for him. For her husband. The love of her life. And suddenly, that worry... it was turning to anger.

"I'm not calling him." she said, oddly light. "I'm booking a plane ticket, and I'm going out there myself. I'm going to u-haul his butt back here and I'm going to scream in his face."

"And for what?" Rachel snapped, "So he can run off again? Kory, you can do what you like, but it isn't going to change the fact that he cheated on you. Your _pregnant_, Kory. When the baby is born do you really want them to know that at any moment his or her father could just run off?"

"But there's still a chance-"

"That he loves you?" Rachel spat, probably accidentally. "Kory, he's out there with Barbara. Renting bungalows and buying water skis. This is what he wants, and for your sake, I want you to forget his sorry carcass and forget his sorry excuse of a life form have your baby and _move on._ I don't want to believe this any more than you do, but I know going out there would be a mistake. Calling him would be a mistake. He'd come back, sure, if not for the baby. But do you really want him back just because your pregnant? Do you want to always think that his mind is on someone else? Kory please, let him live his life and start over."

Tears ran down Rachel's face, but not enough to even compete with Kory's. Could she really just leave Richard alone? Could she really forget him, just like that?

Probably. Yes. It was hard to forget someone you loved, but right then and their, Kory decided that she didn't love Richard. Not anymore. Instead, she hated him. Hated him for all he was worth. Hated his guts. And his hair. And his perfect smile. And his teeth. And his clothes. And the slutty thing he was hanging out with, now. The only thing good that came from him was her baby. _Her_ baby. Not his. Not theirs. Hers. All hers. None his. That was the way it was going to be.

She wiped at her cheeks, but tears were still falling and it was futile. Ray tried to help her stand up, but she didn't want his help. But then she felt bad about rejecting it. None of this was his fault. She actually owed him. For showing her what a horrible, lousy, unfaithful husband she actually had. She nodded faintly at him, not trusting her voice, and made her way up the stairs.

Rachel ran ahead, opening the heavy door for her. Just to show she wasn't angry with Rachel, she looped their arms as they walked down the hall.

Rachel had done her a favor. A huge favor. Why _should _she call Richard? Why should she go out there and try to beg him to come back? He was- as Garfield was say- a bastard. He didn't deserve that kind of loyalty. That kind of care.

Here he had an army of friends that had searched high and low for him. He had a wife who _had _loved him. A brother-in-law who did who knows what to ditch work just to see if he was okay. A kinda sister who would cross dimensions for him. Two kinda brothers who would give their lives for him. And he gave that up? And for Barbara?

After getting Arrow back from Jessica, who Kory was strangely hating at the moment, she insisted that she drive herself home. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, but she accepted a kiss on her cheek from Wally and a kiss on the forehead from her brother and numerous hugs from Vic and Gar. Rachel promised to be over in the morning, but Kory just shrugged. She through a wave to them as she pulled out of the parking lot and into the street.

She pulled into her driveway in a daze, not even remembering the ride home. She knew Xavier was home, but she didn't even want to speak to him. She let Arrow out the car and trudged herself into the house. Into _her_ house.

Arrow, blissfully unaware that disaster had happened, ran to his bowl and lapped up some water. Kory went to her room, went to the bathroom, and then sat on her bed.

"He's a cheater." she said aloud, testing the words on her mouth, "Richard is a cheater, and I hate him for it. I hate Richard."

She felt the tears rising and she wiped at them angrily, but they kept coming. Getting up, she went to her nightstand and pulled out the small box that had all or Richards notes. She ripped them up as she headed to the bathroom. Then, she flushed them all, a strange satisfaction she got when she watched them swirl and then drown.

**I love you.**

_A lie._

**I will always love you.**

_Another lie._

**I haven't forgotten.**

_She was sure he had._

**What its like.**

_But she hoped he hadn't._

**To be with you.**

_Because he was the one with the short straw._

He deserved to know the life he had missed out on. Deserved to wallow in what he could have had. The family he almost knew. The girl he could have loved. And the child he always wanted. He deserved to know what he couldn't have. What he passed up for.

She pulled out her phone without even knowing why and pulled up his messages. Over 120. One more wouldn't hurt. She typed, until her fingers cramped. Until she had to pee again. But she didn't dare stop, for fear her anger would subside and her message wouldn't convey her rage. She called him every name she knew. Called Barbara every name too. She cursed him and his soul. Cursed the tie she had brought him. Cursed the sneakers he wore and the hair gel he used to use. Cursed everything that ever had to do with him. And then sent it. Then she cursed to herself, for forgetting to tell him she was pregnant, because he deserved to know that, too, right?

But she didn't send him anything more. She would _never_ send him anything again. And she was glad she didn't mention her pregnancy. He might just 'happen' to jump on a plane and come back. And she didn't want that. She hoped he stayed on that island forever. Hoped he drowned on it. Hoped a hurricane hit, and the only thing that got destroyed was his stupidly perfect bungalow. It looked cheap anyway!

She peed and then went down to the kitchen to eat and feed Arrow. After refilling his bowl, she went to her cabinets to get something to drink. She grabbed a plastic one, but pulling it down, she saw Richards blue water bottle that he used when he went for his runs. She glared at the cup. Glared so hard she knew Richard on the stupid island of whatever-it-was-called, felt it. She snatched the cup down and opened her trashcan lid.

But then she stopped, inside the bottle, was another note.

She grit her teeth. Then held the bottle over the trashcan. Then pulled it back. Then held it there again. Then, against her better judgment, pulled out the note.

**I'll be back soon. Don't you forget either.**

Ugh! She should have never looked. Stupid, idiot, mental Richard. He wasn't coming back and she didn't want him too. Whatever fling he had _expected_ to have lasted longer than he thought. It made the note invalid anyway.

She dropped both the bottle and note in the trashcan, then marched up the stairs. She wanted to take a little break, but she didn't. Instead, she threw open his armoire and snatched all of his clothes out. Then, she opened her window and tossed them out. All of them. His underwear. His shirts. His jeans. Especially his expensive suits. She went into the bathroom and grabbed his razor and shaving cream. Any and everything he may have touched, and tossed them out the window, too.

Staring at his empty armoire, she decided she'd get Rachel to throw that out too when she came in the morning. And then in the empty space... she'd make a sitting room. No, she decided, that was where she would put the baby's bassinet. Right where his things used to be.

The though satisfied her, and she went down to the kitchen. She decided she'd make herself the biggest bacon, ham and cheese sandwich she ever made. Then she'd eat the whole thing and talk on the phone... to Xavier. Talking to Xavier now would be the last thing Richard would have wanted; so she felt a certain need to do it.

It was done. Things were final. She wasn't waiting for him anymore. She wasn't expecting him. She never wanted to see him again. And even if she did, she didn't want him.

* * *

A/N: Oh, snap, right?! I know half of you are applauding, and the other half of you are crying.

Now, you may be wondering where I'm going with this, but don't worry. I have a plan. A genius plan. I plan that involves... muahahaha...I ain't telling no one.

Anyway, stay tuned.

_ScarletDrake


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